The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced the final results from the December 8, 2020 Constitutional Referendum, with none of the propositions meeting the threshold to be approved. What appears more shocking is that the invalid votes topped in all the eight propositions.
The NEC said the release of the 2020 referendum results follows the reporting of one hundred percent results from all polling centers across the fifteen counties.
The final tally report of the National Referendum result indicates that the dual citizenship proposition obtained 202,017 “yes” votes, amounting to 51.43%, and 190,814, “no” votes, amounting to 48.57%, with a total of 392,831 valid votes and 830,001 invalid votes.
The change in the date of the election’s proposition obtained 212,016 “yes” votes (56.75%) and 161,590 “no” votes (43.25%), with the total of 373,606 valid votes and 456,785 invalid votes.
For the shortened time for the NEC to hear complaints, “yes” obtained 176,789 votes (50.20%) and “no” obtained 175,347 votes (49.80%), with a total of 352,136 valid votes and 478,265 invalid votes.
The proposition calling for the reduction of the term of office of the President and Vice President obtained 237,501 “yes” votes (54.24%) and 200,359 “no” votes (45.76%), with a total of 437,860 valid votes and 391,951 invalid votes.
The reduction of the term of senators obtained 227,884 “yes” votes (54.99%) and 186,557 “no” votes (45.01%), with a total of 414,441 valid votes and 415,694 invalid votes.
The reduction of the term of office of the President Pro Tempore obtained 221,236 “yes” votes (54.80%) and 182,515 “no” votes (45.21%), with a total of 403,751 valid votes and 426,399 invalid votes.
For the proposition suggesting the reduction of the term of office of Representatives, “yes” obtained 220,143 votes (55.03%) and “no” obtained 179,903 votes, with a total of 400,046 valid votes and 430,188 invalid votes.
And for the reduction of the term of office of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, “yes” obtained 217,325 votes (54.39%) and “no” obtained 182,245 votes (45.61%), with a total of 399,570 valid votes and 430,683 invalid votes.
The Chairperson of the NEC, Davidetta Browne Lassanah, addressing a news conference at the James M. Fromayan Conference Hall on Thursday, April 1, 2021 said all of the eight propositions in the referendum did not meet the threshold of the Constitution in order to be approved. She said Section 4(A).4 of the New Election Law states that all of the eight propositions in the referendum should meet the threshold of the Constitution, which demands a two-thirds majority approval.
Article 91 says, “Constitutional amendments may be proposed by either a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Legislature, or by a petition signed by at least 10,000 registered voters and approved by a two-thirds vote in the Legislature. A proposed amendment must be ratified by two-thirds of voters in a popular referendum held no sooner than one year after its approval by the Legislature.”
Explaining Section 4A.4 of the Election Law, Cllr. Browne Lansanah said, “The fraction of two thirds (2/3) required for approval of a question in a referendum is calculated by dividing the number of valid votes cast in approval of the question by the total number of the valid votes cast on the question.”
According to her, on September 20, 2011, the Supreme Court, in its opinion on the challenge to the result of the referendum of 2011 held that invalid votes shall not be included in the sum of the total votes. “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, fellow Liberians, the Commission is pleased to announce that based on the results of the 2020 referendum, none of the eight propositions met the constitutional threshold of two thirds,” she noted.