Liberia: Weah Turns Martyrs' Day Into 2029 Political Battle Cry

What the report says

Former Liberian President George Weah used the Congress for Democratic Change’s Martyrs’ Day commemoration in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County, to signal that the opposition party is aiming to return to power in the 2029 elections. According to The New Dawn, he framed that goal as central to the CDC’s future and urged supporters to stay united after the party’s loss in the 2023 presidential vote.

Weah also criticized President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s government, accusing it of using state institutions and the justice system to pressure political opponents. He specifically defended former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, describing her detention as politically motivated and calling for her release. The report says he did not present evidence to support those claims. Boakai had previously rejected accusations of politically driven prosecutions, saying his administration would not target or shield anyone because of party affiliation.

The event drew hundreds of CDC supporters and party officials. The annual Martyrs’ Day observance is tied to the November 7, 2011 clash at the CDC headquarters in Monrovia, when supporters and security forces confronted each other during tensions around the presidential runoff election. The commemoration remains an important date for the CDC, both to honor members the party says died in political struggles and to rally its base around future elections.