Victory for Change Party

The Victory for Change Party (VCP) is a political party in Liberia.[a] It is a part of the Rainbow Alliance.

History

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Marcus Roland Jones was the founder of the VCP.[1] He was a lawyer who attempted to run as an independent in the 2005 presidential election, though the National Elections Commission (NEC) blocked his candidacy in August, citing problems with his registration.[2] By 2011, Jones was serving as the standard bearer for the VCP, and contested the presidency with Monica Dokie Borbor as his running mate.[3] Jones received 5,305 votes, 0.4% of the total. In the 2011 legislative elections, the VCP had three candidates contest the Senate and fifteen contest the House of Representatives. None were elected.[4]

The VCP had two candidates contesting the 2014 Senate elections. Neither were successful.[5]

In October 2015, Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan resigned from his post. He planned to contest the 2017 presidential election and was required to resign his post to comply with the National Code of Conduct.[6] In April 2016, Ngafuan resigned from the Unity Party (UP).[7] On October 22, 2016, Ngafuan, along with his supporters, joined the VCP. By November, there had been rumors circulating that Jones had sold the VCP's ticket to Ngafuan. Both Jones and Ngafuan denied the allegation. Jones further stated that Ngafuan was not qualified under the VCP's constitution to run for any position with the party, as he had joined the party too recently.[8] VCP Chairman Emmanuel Tulay later stated there was no such qualification for candidates in the VCP's constitution.[1] In May 2017, Ngafuan had stated that he was no longer seeking the presidency, not wanting to run against the UP candidate, Vice President Joseph Boakai. He gave his endorsement to Boakai.[9] The VCP did not contest the presidency in 2017.[10] By August 2017, Ngafuan had re-joined the UP.[11]

In the 2017 House elections, the VCP ran 22 candidates.[10] Johnson N. Gwaikolo won in Nimba County's 9th House district.[12] He was the only VCP candidate elected.[13]

In May 2020, the VCP, along with 10 other political parties, signed a document to become part of the Rainbow Alliance (RA), with the goal of opposing the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the 2023 election.[14] The RA was certified by the NEC on August 31, 2020, with the VCP as one of its 7 founding parties.[15] The RA unsuccessfully contested the 2020 Senate elections with 10 candidates.[16]

By June 2022, Rep. Gwaikolo had declared his intention to join the Congress for Democratic Change.[13] Jones died in March 2023.[17] The RA did not contest the 2023 presidential election and did not win any seats in the legislative elections.[18][19][20] Gwaikolo contested re-election with the CDC in 2023 and was defeated.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Also abbreviated as VFC.

References

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  1. ^ a b Dodoo, Lennart (November 18, 2016). "Victory For Change in Confusion Over Ngafuan Nomination As Standard Bearer". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "Liberia: Court rulings may affect elections date, officials say". ReliefWeb. September 28, 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Wandah, Joe Noutuoa (August 22, 2011). "Cllr. Marcus Jones accuses the Liberian leader Pres Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf". ModernGhana. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "National Tally Center Tally Report for the Presidential and Legislative Elections on 11 October 2011" (PDF). National Elections Commission. September 25, 2011. pp. 5, 12–44. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "2014 Special Senatorial Election". National Elections Commission. 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  6. ^ Butty, James (October 5, 2015). "Liberia's Foreign Minister Resigns With Eyes on 2017 Election". Voice of America. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  7. ^ Dodoo, Lennart (October 23, 2016). "'Dangling Sword': Ngafuan Foresees Danger in 2017 If…". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  8. ^ "'Ngafuan Unqualified For Nomination Under VFC Constitution' – Cllr. Jones". FrontPage Africa. November 16, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  9. ^ Dodoo, Lennart (May 9, 2017). "Former Foreign Minister Ngafuan to Abandon Ambition to Support Joe Boakai". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "National Elections in Liberia, Fall 2017" (PDF). Carter Center. 2017. p. 47. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "UP breaks into faction". The New Dawn Liberia. August 23, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  12. ^ "2017 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION RESULTS". National Elections Commission. 2017. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Gwaikolo's Political Migration Threatens VCP". The Inquirer Newspaper. June 23, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  14. ^ "Liberia: 11 Political Parties Form 'Rainbow Alliance' through Collaboration". FrontPage Africa. May 23, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  15. ^ "NEC Certificates Rainbow Alliance to Participate in the Ongoing Elections". National Elections Commission. 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  16. ^ "2020 SENATORIAL ELECTION RESULTS". National Elections Commission. 2020. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "LIBERIA: Cllr. Marcus Jones Is Dead". Global News Network Liberia. March 26, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  18. ^ "2023 Presidential Elections Results". National Elections Commission. 2023. Archived from the original on October 24, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  19. ^ "2023 SENATORIAL ELECTION RESULTS". National Elections Commission. 2023. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  20. ^ "ELECTIONS 2023: In House Of Representatives, CDC Captures 25 Of 73 Seats, While UP 10, And Independent Candidates 18 Seats". Global News Network Liberia. October 22, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  21. ^ "Liberia: Several Incumbents Losing Seats in Nimba as Prince Johnson, Musa Bility Take Lead". FrontPage Africa. October 12, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
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