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Congress for Democratic Change
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Congress for Democratic Change
Congress for Democratic Change (abbreviated CDC) is a Liberian political party formed by supporters of George Weah during the 2005 presidential campaign.
The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) was founded in 2005 around the presidential candidacy of former footballer George Weah, who became the party's standard bearer. In the 2005 Liberian general election, Weah placed first in the presidential poll on 11 October, winning 28.3% of the vote and advancing to a runoff against Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Unity Party. In the 8 November runoff election, Weah received 40.6% of the vote, compared with Johnson Sirleaf's 59.4%, and was defeated.
Following the runoff, the CDC alleged electoral irregularities and called for a new election, despite international observers generally endorsing the credibility of the vote. In December 2005, Weah announced that he would not appeal the National Elections Commission's rejection of the party's fraud allegations, effectively ending the dispute and allowing Liberia's post-war democratic transition to proceed.
In the legislative elections held alongside the presidential election, the CDC won three seats in the Senate and fifteen seats in the House of Representatives, becoming one of the country's largest opposition parties.
Following the 2005 elections, the CDC became one of Liberia's main opposition parties during the presidency of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. In the 2011 Liberian general election, the party nominated Winston Tubman for president, with Weah as his running mate. Tubman and Weah advanced to the runoff against Johnson Sirleaf and Vice President Joseph Boakai, but the CDC boycotted the second round after alleging irregularities in the first round.
Weah remained the party's leading national figure after the 2011 election. In the 2014 Liberian Senate election, he was elected senator for Montserrado County, defeating Boakai and strengthening his position within the CDC ahead of the next presidential election.
In 2016, the party joined with the National Patriotic Party and the Liberia People Democratic Party to form the Coalition for Democratic Change ahead of the 2017 general election. The alliance was certificated by the National Elections Commission on 19 December 2016 and described itself as a new political entity based on the partnership of the three constituent parties. It nominated Weah as its presidential candidate and Jewel Taylor as his running mate. Weah won the 2017 presidential runoff against Joseph Boakai, giving the CDC-led coalition control of the presidency for the first time.
Weah served as president from 2018 to 2024. During his presidency, the CDC-led government promoted a "pro-poor" development agenda, while facing criticism over economic conditions, governance, and corruption allegations. In the 2023 general election, Weah again ran as the candidate of the CDC-led coalition. He narrowly lost the runoff to Boakai, receiving 49.36% of the vote to Boakai's 50.64%, and conceded the election.
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Congress for Democratic Change
Congress for Democratic Change (abbreviated CDC) is a Liberian political party formed by supporters of George Weah during the 2005 presidential campaign.
The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) was founded in 2005 around the presidential candidacy of former footballer George Weah, who became the party's standard bearer. In the 2005 Liberian general election, Weah placed first in the presidential poll on 11 October, winning 28.3% of the vote and advancing to a runoff against Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of the Unity Party. In the 8 November runoff election, Weah received 40.6% of the vote, compared with Johnson Sirleaf's 59.4%, and was defeated.
Following the runoff, the CDC alleged electoral irregularities and called for a new election, despite international observers generally endorsing the credibility of the vote. In December 2005, Weah announced that he would not appeal the National Elections Commission's rejection of the party's fraud allegations, effectively ending the dispute and allowing Liberia's post-war democratic transition to proceed.
In the legislative elections held alongside the presidential election, the CDC won three seats in the Senate and fifteen seats in the House of Representatives, becoming one of the country's largest opposition parties.
Following the 2005 elections, the CDC became one of Liberia's main opposition parties during the presidency of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. In the 2011 Liberian general election, the party nominated Winston Tubman for president, with Weah as his running mate. Tubman and Weah advanced to the runoff against Johnson Sirleaf and Vice President Joseph Boakai, but the CDC boycotted the second round after alleging irregularities in the first round.
Weah remained the party's leading national figure after the 2011 election. In the 2014 Liberian Senate election, he was elected senator for Montserrado County, defeating Boakai and strengthening his position within the CDC ahead of the next presidential election.
In 2016, the party joined with the National Patriotic Party and the Liberia People Democratic Party to form the Coalition for Democratic Change ahead of the 2017 general election. The alliance was certificated by the National Elections Commission on 19 December 2016 and described itself as a new political entity based on the partnership of the three constituent parties. It nominated Weah as its presidential candidate and Jewel Taylor as his running mate. Weah won the 2017 presidential runoff against Joseph Boakai, giving the CDC-led coalition control of the presidency for the first time.
Weah served as president from 2018 to 2024. During his presidency, the CDC-led government promoted a "pro-poor" development agenda, while facing criticism over economic conditions, governance, and corruption allegations. In the 2023 general election, Weah again ran as the candidate of the CDC-led coalition. He narrowly lost the runoff to Boakai, receiving 49.36% of the vote to Boakai's 50.64%, and conceded the election.