Senator Chie Calls for Revival of Constitutional Amendments with National Referendum Focus

Capitol Hill, Monrovia Liberia: Grand Kru County Senator Albert Tugbe Chie has formally urged the Liberian Senate to revisit and resubmit eight critical constitutional amendments for a national referendum.

In a letter addressed to Senate Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence and fellow senators, Senator Chie emphasized the importance of the amendments, which were initially presented during the December 8, 2020, referendum. Despite receiving majority support, the proposals failed to meet the two-thirds threshold mandated by Article 91 of the 1986 Constitution to take effect.

The amendments under review include:

1. Dual Citizenship (Article 28): Declaring the citizenship of natural-born Liberians inalienable.

2. Reduction of Senators’ Terms (Article 45): Reducing their tenure from nine to seven years.

3. Senate Officers’ Term Limits (Article 47): Introducing a five-year term for Senate leadership positions.

4. Reduction of Representatives’ Terms (Article 48): Shortening their tenure from six to five years.

5. House Officers’ Term Limits (Article 49): Setting a five-year term for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and other House leaders.

6. Presidential Term Reduction (Article 50): Cutting the President’s term from six to five years.

7. Election Date Adjustment (Article 83a): Moving general elections from October to November.

8. Election Dispute Resolution Timeline (Article 83c): Shortening the period for resolving election complaints from 30 days to 15 days.

Senator Chie underscored the need for a robust voter education campaign to ensure that citizens understand and engage with the proposed changes.

“This effort requires not only adjustments to the proposed amendments but also an adequate and well-funded preparatory process, including extensive voter education,” he stated.

The proposal now awaits deliberation by the Senate. If approved, the reviewed amendments will move forward, taking steps toward a national referendum as required by the Constitution.