President Joseph Boakai’s party drew a small crowd at a commemoration of the 2023 campaign launch, underscoring growing frustration over unemployment and living costs.
Liberia’s ruling Unity Party is facing signs of declining public support as voters grow frustrated with the government’s failure to deliver jobs and curb illicit drug use among young people.
Only a small number of supporters gathered Thursday at the party’s headquarters on Broad Street in Monrovia to mark the anniversary of the campaign that returned the Unity Party to power. The event had previously drawn tens of thousands of people and became a key date on the party’s political calendar.
The subdued turnout reflects growing economic pressure on households, many of which continue to struggle with unemployment, low incomes and rising living costs.
Liberia has also recently emerged as a transit point for narcotics trafficking, intensifying pressure on the government to address drug abuse among young people.
President Joseph Boakai and the Unity Party issued no public statement to mark the occasion, in contrast with the enthusiasm surrounding the campaign launch.
Boakai, then the Unity Party’s presidential candidate, launched his 2023 campaign at Monrovia’s Antoinette Tubman Stadium, where he appealed to young voters and promised a better future than that offered by then-President George Weah.
“I will protect you from kush,” Boakai told supporters at the rally, referring to a dangerous synthetic drug that has become increasingly prevalent among Liberian youth. The speech was delivered as supporters danced and chanted for change under heavy rain.
Boakai defeated Weah in the November 2023 election, but the administration’s economic gains have yet to translate into broad improvements in household welfare. Economic growth has reached 5.4% and the national budget has surpassed $1 billion, according to the government, yet many families remain food insecure.
Noah Zawu Gibson, deputy director for operations at the National Transit Authority, acknowledged the lack of employment opportunities in remarks to Unity Party supporters.
“Today, September 17, three years ago, was the day that we gathered in our thousands to liberate the country,” Gibson said.
“I know if you do not see us around, it does not mean we have neglected you.”
Gibson said the party planned to reopen its headquarters across Montserrado County, including Monrovia, to provide a gathering place for supporters.
“We are not able to employ all of you,” he said. “But at least, the party headquarters should be busy for you all to sit down there.”
The remarks offered little relief to supporters seeking jobs and income. It points to the widening gap between the expectations raised by the Unity Party’s campaign and the realities facing Liberians nearly three years into its administration.
