Proposition 4 seeks to amend Article 48 of the Constitution in order for the term of the members of the House of Representatives to be reduced from six (6) years to five (5) years.
Presently, Article 48 of the 1986 Constitution reads, “The House of Representatives shall be composed of members elected for a term of six years by the registered voters in each of the legislative constituencies of the counties, but a member of the House of Representatives elected in a by-election to fill a vacancy created by death, resignation, expulsion or otherwise shall be elected to serve only the remainder of the unexpired term of the office. Members of the House shall be eligible for re-election.”
However, the crafters of the Official Gazette of the 2020 National Referendum have argued that the reduction of the term of office for the House of Representatives from six (6) years to five (5) years is necessary so that the term is the same as the term of office for the President of Liberia, which will be five (5) years instead of six, as provided for by Article 50 of the Constitution.
In addition, the amendment takes into consideration that, as the civil war caused migration of citizens from counties other than Montserrado to Montserrado, the resident population densities of other counties have decreased. Consequently, the number of legislative constituencies based on population densities of counties, as envisaged by the 1986 Constitution, has decreased.
To address this anomaly, legislative constituencies are now based on Joint Resolution of the Legislature, not the Constitution; and the Joint Resolution bringing to force the National Referendum mandates a minimum three (3) legislative constituencies for each county. “It is the wisdom of this Joint Resolution which is being proposed to a Constitutional amendment to provide that, notwithstanding the resident population density of a county, it shall not have less than three legislative constituencies,” the Joint Resolution of the Third Session of the 54th National Legislature read.
The Joint Resolution noted that the proposal for the amendment of Article 48 at the up-coming referendum will afford the Liberian voter the opportunity to decide whether members of the House of Representatives should serve for five years instead of six years.
If amended, Article 48 will read, “The House of Representatives shall be composed of members elected for a term of five (5) years by the registered voters in each of the legislative constituencies of the counties, but a member of the House of Representatives elected in a by-election to fill a vacancy created by death, resignation or otherwise shall be elected to serve only the remainder of the unexpired term of the office. Members of the House of Representatives shall be eligible for re-election.”
If one votes “yes” on Proposition 4 at the Referendum, it means the person has agreed that the tenure of Representatives be reduced from six years to five; and if a person votes “no” it means that the person does not agree for the tenure of the Representatives to be reduced.
Speaking at a gathering recently, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill, disclosed that President George M. Weah took approximately one week to convince sitting representatives and senators, as well as cabinet ministers, to accept the reduction in their tenures. He said they wondered why others would serve for nine years as senators, six years and representatives and ministers but President Weah wants to reduce their tenures of service.
At the end, Minister McGill said, they all agreed that they should reduce their tenures in the interest of the country, as election is not for one person—today they are in power; tomorrow it will be others; therefore, they should do what is right during their time to save in the nation’s future.
He called on the entire citizenry not to join greedy politicians in politicizing the National Referendum and join hands in making sound decisions for mama Liberia.