The National Legislature has adopted a Joint Resolution, #003 2020, rescheduling the pending October midterm Senatorial Election to December 8, 2020, the second Tuesday. The rescheduling of midterm senatorial election and conduct of the national census is the result of the outbreak of the global pandemic COVID-19 in the country.
The House’s plenary on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, during the 35th Day Sitting of the 3rd Session of the House of Representatives of the 54th Legislature, overwhelmingly voted to concur with the Liberian Senate on the joint resolution to have the election and the conduct of the national census conducted on December 8, 2020 instead of in October.
Following the reading of the joint resolution in open session by the Chief Clerk, a motion was made by Nimba County’s district #1 Representative, Jeremiah Koung, to concur with the Liberian Senate. Before the reading of the resolution, a comprehensive report from the House’s Joint Committees on Election, Health and Judiciary was read, detailing the reasons for the postponement of the 2020 midterm senatorial election.
Speaking to this medium after plenary’s decision, the Chairman of the House’s Committee on Election, Grand Gedeh County Representative, Alex C. Grant, said the decision to postpone the election was taken in consultation with the National Elections Commission (NEC). According to him, NEC informed his committee that it is not possible to conduct the election and the national census on the Constitutional date, October, due to the outbreak of the pandemic, COVID-19.
Representative Grant averred that NEC told the committee that most of the electoral materials which need to be purchased outside Liberia could not be possible in the midst of the outbreak of the viral disease. He indicated that the proposed December 8 will be suitable for that electoral body to fulfill the Constitutional mandate. He pointed out that the committee also takes into consideration the Constitutional crisis if the midterm senatorial election is not conducted within the Constitutional given period.
Recently, President George Weah sent a communication to the National Legislature requesting its approval to have the 2020 senatorial election rescheduled to December 15, 2020; the Legislature concluded on December 8, instead of the 15.