View source for All People's Congress

{{Short description|Political party in Sierra Leone}}
{{For|Ghanaian political party|All People's Congress (Ghana)}}
{{Hatnote|"All People's Congress" is also the name of a sister organisation of the [[Workers World Party]] in the United States.}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox political party
| country          = Sierra Leone
| name             = All People's Congress
| logo             = All People's Congress logo.png
| logo_size        = 
| leader           = [[Ernest Bai Koroma]]
| chairman         = Ernest Bai Koroma
| spokesperson     = Cornelius Deveaux
| founder          = [[Siaka Stevens]]
| foundation       = {{start date|1960|3|20|df=y}}
| split            = [[Sierra Leone People's Party]]
| colorcode        = {{party color|All People's Congress}}
| secretary_general = [[Alhaji]] [[Osman Foday Yansaneh]]
| headquarters     = 31 Railway Line, Brookfields [[Freetown]], [[Sierra Leone]]
| ideology         = [[African nationalism]]<br>[[Social democracy]]<br>[[Pan-Africanism]]<br />'''Historical:'''<br />[[Pragmatism|Pragmatic]] [[Socialism]] (''1971–1992'')<ref>[http://www.sierraleonetrc.org/downloads/VolumeTwoComplete.pdf ''Report of the Sierra Leone Truth & Reconciliation Commission.'' Sierra Leone Truth & Reconciliation Commission, Volume 2, 2004, S. 92.]</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/30/obituaries/siaka-p-stevens-is-dead-at-82-sierra-leone-leader-for-17-years.html ''Siaka P. Stevens Is Dead at 82; Sierra Leone Leader for 17 Years.'' The New York Times, 30. Mai 1988.]</ref>
| position         = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]
| colors           = [[Red]]
| slogan           = "Action, Progress, Commitment"
| seats1_title     = Seats in [[Parliament of Sierra Leone|Parliament]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|54|132|hex={{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
| seats2_title     = District Councils Chairperson
| seats2           = {{Composition bar|7|13|hex={{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
| seats3_title     = Municipalities Mayors
| seats3           = {{Composition bar|3|6|hex={{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
| website          = {{URL|apcpartysl.com}}
}}

The '''All People's Congress''' ('''APC''') is one of the two major [[political parties in Sierra Leone]], the other being its main political rival the [[Sierra Leone People's Party]] (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018 when [[Julius Maada Bio]] of the SLPP won the [[2018 Sierra Leonean general election|2018 presidential elections]], though it maintains a majority in parliament.

The APC party was founded in 1960 by a breakaway group from the Sierra Leone People's Party that vehemently opposed elections before independence and instead supported independence before elections. The APC governed the country from 1968 to 1992 and became the ruling party again in 2007 after the party presidential candidate [[Ernest Bai Koroma]] won the 2007 presidential election, he contested and also won the 2012 elections. The APC lost power on 4 April 2018, with its flagbearer [[Samura Kamara]] losing the presidential election to Bio.

The APC is very popular and receives large majority support in almost all of the northern districts of [[Sierra Leone]] with strong ties to the [[Temne people|Temne]] and some [[Limba people (Sierra Leone)|Limba]] people. The APC is also popular with significant majority in the [[Western Area]] (including [[Freetown]]).

== Overview ==
Following [[Sierra Leonean constitutional referendum, 1978|a heavily manipulated plebiscite]] in 1978, the APC became the sole legal party in the country, a status it retained until 1991. Presidents [[Siaka Stevens]] and [[Joseph Saidu Momoh]] were members of the APC. Momoh was overthrown in a military coup in 1992, and during the [[Sierra Leone Civil War|civil war]] that followed, the party was severely weakened.

In the [[Sierra Leonean general election, 2002|parliamentary election]] held on 14 May 2002, the party won 19.8% of the popular vote and 22 out of 112 seats. Its candidate in the presidential elections, [[Ernest Bai Koroma]], won 22.3% of the vote; he was defeated by [[Ahmad Tejan Kabbah]] of the [[Sierra Leone People's Party]] (SLPP).

[[File:All People's Congress political rally Sierra Leone 1968.jpg|thumb|left|An All People's Congress rally in [[Kabala, Sierra Leone|Kabala]] in 1968]]
For several years Koroma's leadership was challenged by some in the party, who took the issue to court; the dispute was said to be resolved in April 2007, with Koroma accepted by party dissidents as the party's leader ahead of the [[Sierra Leone general election, 2007|2007 election]].<ref>Sayoh Kamara, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928043404/http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20055183.shtml "APC Gets Final Peace in Sierra Leone"], ''Awareness Times'', 5 April 2007.</ref><ref>"Sierra Leone’s main opposition party settles internal dispute", African Press Agency, 6 April 2007. {{cite web|url=http://apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=25080 |title=African Press Agency - Item |access-date=24 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213233350/http://apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=25080 |archive-date=13 December 2007 }}</ref> He was the party's candidate for president in the election, with the first round held in August 2007. In the first round he took first place with 44.3% of the vote, ahead of [[Solomon Berewa]] of the ruling [[Sierra Leone People's Party]] (SLPP) with 38.3%, but Koroma did not receive enough votes to win outright, and a second round was necessary. In the parliamentary election, held concurrently with the presidential first round, the APC won 59 out of 112 seats and became the largest party in Parliament.<ref name=Freetown>[http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=nw20070823223651419C426830 "Freetown opposition party wins majority"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615021453/http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1 |date=15 June 2006 }}, Reuters, 24 August 2007.</ref>

Koroma was victorious in the second round of the 2007 presidential election, held on 8 September, winning 54.6% of the vote against 45.4% for Berewa.<ref name=Rod>Rod MacJohnson, [https://web.archive.org/web/20180706075339/http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=566281 "Sierra Leone gets a new leader"], AFP, 17 September 2007.</ref><ref name=Win>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6998687.stm "S Leone opposition win presidency"], BBC News, 17 September 2007.</ref> He was sworn in as President on 17 September.<ref>Katrina Manson and Christo Johnson, [http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=nw20070917222631534C943067 "Koroma pledges healing in Sierra Leone"], Reuters, 18 September 2007.</ref>

APC has traditionally been based among the [[Temne people|Temne]] and [[Limba people (Sierra Leone)|Limba]] people in the north.<ref name="BanguraMustapha2016">{{cite book|author1=Joseph J. Bangura|author2=Marda Mustapha|title=Democratization and Human Security in Postwar Sierra Leone|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qYMYDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA31|date=29 April 2016|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US|isbn=978-1-137-48674-5|page=31}}</ref><ref name="FritzLevy2014">{{cite book|author1=Verena Fritz|author2=Brian Levy|author3=Rachel Ort|title=Problem-Driven Political Economy Analysis: The World Bank's Experience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pkafAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA184|date=13 January 2014|publisher=World Bank Publications|isbn=978-1-4648-0122-8|page=184}}</ref>

In 2018 the party named a team whowould review the country's constitution. Although the plan was to not have new elections for five years the party wanted to suggest a new constitution. The members chosen included [[Elvis Kargbo]], [[Dauda Kamara|Dauda S. Kamara]], Eddie Turay and Osman Foday Yansaneh, Abu Bakarr Kalokoh, Daniel Koroma, Africanus Sorie Sesay esq, [[Amadu Koroma]], [[Ibrahim I. Mansaray]], Ibrahim Sorie esq,  [[Isata Kabia]], Lansana Dumbuya, Lawyer Showers, Roland Nylander, Sulaiman Kabba Koroma, Warah Serry-Kamal and [[Sorie Tarawallie]]. The group had several more members and a draft was expected by the end of January 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Abdul Rashid |date=2018-11-22 |title=APC names members of its Constitutional Review Committee |url=https://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/apc-names-members-of-its-constitutional-review-committee/ |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=The Sierra Leone Telegraph |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Electoral history ==

=== Presidential elections ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" |Election
! rowspan="2" |Party candidate
!Votes
!%
!Votes
!%
! rowspan="2" |Result
|-
! colspan="2" |First round
! colspan="2" |Second round
|-
![[1985 Sierra Leonean presidential election|1985]]
|[[Joseph Saidu Momoh]]
|2,780,495
|99.9%
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|'''Elected''' {{Y}}
|-
![[1996 Sierra Leonean general election|1996]]
|[[Edward Turay]]
|38,316
|5.1%
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|'''Lost''' {{N}}
|-
![[2002 Sierra Leonean general election|2002]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Ernest Bai Koroma]]
|426,405
|22.4%
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|'''Lost''' {{N}}
|-
![[2007 Sierra Leonean general election|2007]]
|815,523
|44.3%
|950,407
|54.6%
|'''Elected''' {{Y}}
|-
![[Sierra Leonean general election, 2012|2012]]
|1,314,881
|58.7%
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|'''Elected''' {{Y}}
|-
![[2018 Sierra Leonean general election|2018]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Samura Kamara]]
|1,082,748
|42.7%
|1,227,171
|48.2%
|'''Lost''' {{N}}
|-
![[2023 Sierra Leonean general election|2023]]
|1,148,262
|41.2%
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|'''Lost''' {{N}}
|}

=== Parliamentary elections ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Election
!Votes
!%
!Seats
!+/–
!Position
!Government
|-
![[1962 Sierra Leonean general election|1962]]
|114,333
|17.23%
|{{Composition bar|16|74|hex={{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|New
|{{increase}} 2nd
|{{no2|Opposition}}
|-
![[1967 Sierra Leonean general election|1967]]
|279,715
|44.92%
|{{Composition bar|32|78|hex={{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 16
|{{increase}} 1st
|{{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
![[1973 Sierra Leonean general election|1973]]
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|{{Composition bar|84|97|hex={{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 52
|{{steady}} 1st
|{{yes|Supermajority}}
|-
![[1977 Sierra Leonean parliamentary election|1977]]
|425,358
|61.93%
|{{Composition bar|70|100|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{decrease}} 14
|{{steady}} 1st
|{{yes|Supermajority}}
|-
![[1982 Sierra Leonean parliamentary election|1982]]
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|{{Composition bar|85|104|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 15
|{{steady}} 1st
|{{yes|Sole legal party}}
|-
![[1986 Sierra Leonean parliamentary election|1986]]
|colspan=2 {{N/A}}
|{{Composition bar|105|127|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 20
|{{steady}} 1st
|{{yes|Sole legal party}}
|-
![[1996 Sierra Leonean general election|1996]]
|42,467
|5.69%
|{{Composition bar|5|80|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{decrease}} 100
|{{decrease}} 4th
|{{no2|Opposition}}
|-
![[2002 Sierra Leonean general election|2002]]
|409,313
|21.41%
|{{Composition bar|27|112|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 22
|{{increase}} 2nd
|{{no2|Opposition}}
|-
![[2007 Sierra Leonean general election|2007]]
|728,898
|40.73%
|{{Composition bar|59|124|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 32
|{{increase}} 1st
|{{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
![[Sierra Leonean general election, 2012|2012]]
|1,149,234
|53.67%
|{{Composition bar|67|124|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 8
|{{steady}} 1st
|{{yes2|Government}}
|-
![[2018 Sierra Leonean general election|2018]]
|989,431
|39.93%
|{{Composition bar|68|146|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{increase}} 1
|{{steady}} 1st
|{{no2|Opposition}}
|-
![[2023 Sierra Leonean general election|2023]]
|1,113,882
|40.00%
|{{Composition bar|54|149|{{party color|All People's Congress}}}}
|{{decrease}} 14
|{{decrease}} 2nd
|{{no2|Opposition}}
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.apcpartysl.com}}

{{Sierra Leonean political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1960 establishments in Sierra Leone]]
[[Category:African and Black nationalist parties in Africa]]
[[Category:African socialist political parties]]
[[Category:Democratic socialist parties in Africa]]
[[Category:Parties of one-party systems]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1960]]
[[Category:Political parties in Sierra Leone]]
[[Category:Socialism in Sierra Leone]]