Source: FrontPage Africa
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| Senate Pro Temp Cletus Wotorson |
Monrovia -
House Speaker Alex Tyler has called on the National Elections Commission to go ahead in making preparations for the holding of Legislative and Presidential elections later next year as members of both the Liberian Senate and the House of Representatives moved on Thursday to adopt a joint resolution to pass the controversial Threshold Bill with no county losing a seat but an additional nine seats will be awarded to five counties(Montserrado, Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Bassa).
Despite heavy opposition from some members of both Houses of the National Legislature, twenty senators signed the resolution and twenty-two Representatives voted to adopt the resolution the Threshold resolution which may lead to another try of signature from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
But some members of the House of Representatives have threatened to go to court on the Threshold Subject claiming that Speaker and some members of the Legislature were attempting to provide seats for constituencies where there should be no seats at the expense of the constitution of the Republic of Liberia.
Representatives Eugene Fallah Kparkar of Lofa County and Gabriel Smith of Grand Bassa County and Chairman of the House Elections Committee said they will move to the Supreme Court to seek redress on what they say is a deliberate attempt by their colleagues to circumvent the law.
But pro Threshold campaigners argued that the Threshold is purely the prerogative of the Legislature and therefore no specific branch of Government has the right to stop the Legislature from acting on the Threshold. They also argued that if those who are against the Threshold being discussed in the Legislature should have raised the argument ever since before the Senate prepares its resolution. But to allow the debate to switch against the opponent before bringing the argument was also in their minds not fair for the development of the country.
The Senate resolution is suggesting that members of the Legislature among other things: “that the 64 electoral districts set-up and used by the National Elections Commission (NEC) for the conduct of 2005 presidential and Legislative elections shall remain constant. But for the purpose of the 2011 presidential and Legislative elections, each county shall retain the existing number of seats it has in the House of Representatives, except the counties of Bassa, Bong, Margibi, Montserrado and Nimba. Accordingly, nine (9) additional constituencies are hereby prescribed and established. The National Elections Commission shall reapportion such constituencies herein prescribed to the Counties specifically named in the resolution based on the fraction of a percentage contribution of the current seats each of the county herein named above to their total number of seats in the Legislature.”
House Speaker Alex Tyler has called on the National Elections Commission to go ahead in making preparations for the holding of Legislative and Presidential elections later next year as members of both the Liberian Senate and the House of Representatives moved on Thursday to adopt a joint resolution to pass the controversial Threshold Bill with no county losing a seat but an additional nine seats will be awarded to five counties(Montserrado, Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Bassa).
Despite heavy opposition from some members of both Houses of the National Legislature, twenty senators signed the resolution and twenty-two Representatives voted to adopt the resolution the Threshold resolution which may lead to another try of signature from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
But some members of the House of Representatives have threatened to go to court on the Threshold Subject claiming that Speaker and some members of the Legislature were attempting to provide seats for constituencies where there should be no seats at the expense of the constitution of the Republic of Liberia.
Representatives Eugene Fallah Kparkar of Lofa County and Gabriel Smith of Grand Bassa County and Chairman of the House Elections Committee said they will move to the Supreme Court to seek redress on what they say is a deliberate attempt by their colleagues to circumvent the law.
But pro Threshold campaigners argued that the Threshold is purely the prerogative of the Legislature and therefore no specific branch of Government has the right to stop the Legislature from acting on the Threshold. They also argued that if those who are against the Threshold being discussed in the Legislature should have raised the argument ever since before the Senate prepares its resolution. But to allow the debate to switch against the opponent before bringing the argument was also in their minds not fair for the development of the country.
The Senate resolution is suggesting that members of the Legislature among other things: “that the 64 electoral districts set-up and used by the National Elections Commission (NEC) for the conduct of 2005 presidential and Legislative elections shall remain constant. But for the purpose of the 2011 presidential and Legislative elections, each county shall retain the existing number of seats it has in the House of Representatives, except the counties of Bassa, Bong, Margibi, Montserrado and Nimba. Accordingly, nine (9) additional constituencies are hereby prescribed and established. The National Elections Commission shall reapportion such constituencies herein prescribed to the Counties specifically named in the resolution based on the fraction of a percentage contribution of the current seats each of the county herein named above to their total number of seats in the Legislature.”
