Published: December 10, 2025
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia — In a highly contentious move with significant political and economic consequences, Liberia’s House of Representatives has voted to add 14 new seats to the national Legislature, increasing the lower chamber from 73 to 87 members ahead of the 2029 General and Presidential Elections. Lawmakers justified the decision as a constitutional requirement following the 2022 Census.
By Gibson Gee & Lennart Dodoo
Lawmakers state they acted under Article 80 of the Constitution, which mandates the Legislature to redraw electoral districts following each national census to ensure equal population distribution. For the Joint Committee on Elections, Inauguration, Judiciary, and Good Governance & Government Reform, the math was unavoidable: the 2022 National Population and Housing Census showed significant disparities—especially in Montserrado County, now housing nearly 37 percent of Liberia’s population.
The committee’s report concluded that, without adding new seats, Liberia risks violating the “one-person, one-vote” principle embedded in Article 80(c), (d), and (e), which require constituencies to be roughly equal in population and stipulate that reapportionment occur within one year of the census publication.
A Constitutional Obligation Long Deferred
In theory, the Legislature should have revised electoral boundaries shortly after the 2022 Census results were published. In practice, Liberia has not undertaken full reapportionment since 2010–2011, when Joint Resolution L/09–2010 increased the number of House seats from 64 to 73 following the 2008 Census.
That process—Liberia’s only post-war demarcation exercise—redrew electoral boundaries in Montserrado, Bong, Nimba, and Margibi. It also established the 73 districts still used by the country today.
Under Article 80(e), lawmakers were required to complete new reapportionment “within one year” after the first legislative session following the publication of census results. They did not.
Tuesday’s decision marks the first significant effort to realign Liberia’s electoral map with population shifts—14 years after the previous adjustment.
Koon’s Long Campaign for Rebalancing Realized
For Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, the vote represents the culmination of years of advocacy. Long before he became Speaker, Koon argued strongly that Liberia’s districts had become “fundamentally unfair,” with some rural lawmakers representing fewer than 20,000 people, while urban districts in Montserrado have populations exceeding 100,000.
The 2022 Census provided the statistical ammunition he needed. With Montserrado alone growing to nearly 1.9 million residents, lawmakers on the committee said the “four-times rule” in Article 80(e), which prohibits any district from being four times larger or smaller than another, left them little choice but to expand representation.
How the New Seats Break Down
Based on LISGIS findings, the committee recommended the following additions:
- Montserrado County: 1,920,965 people (36.6%) → 4 new seats
- Nimba County: 621,841 (11.8%) → 2 seats
- Bong County: 467,561 (8.9%) → 2 seats
- Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland: 1 seat each
- Bomi and Grand Kru: populations too small to qualify under any scenario
Plenary approved these adjustments after a brief debate, with Rep. Foday Fahnbulleh offering the motion. He also called for the establishment of a specialized committee to work alongside the National Elections Commission (NEC) and LISGIS on a national redistricting exercise that must be completed before the 2029 elections.
A Nation Erupts: “This Is Not What Liberia Needs”
If lawmakers expected quiet acceptance, the public reaction proved otherwise.
Across Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp communities, and call-in radio programs, Liberians condemned the move as reckless and opportunistic—an expansion of political power at the worst possible economic moment.
“Another recipe for massive poverty,” wrote Adolphus Wade, describing the decision as a deliberate affront to struggling citizens.
“Who this one will help?” asked Sam S. Yarkpawolo, pointing out that lawmakers have spent years dodging calls to cut their own salaries.
For Joshua Saye George, the move was simply “wasteful,” arguing that legislators are “creating avenues to sustain high salaries at the expense of the poor.”
Others feared the practical burden:
“We’re already suffering under 73 seats. What happens with 87?” warned Sangary Abu Bakar Sidik.
Political commentator John Voker summarized the mood bluntly:
“The Legislature is one of Liberia’s major setbacks. Taxpayers see no positive results.”
The level of outrage shows the deep disconnect between elected officials and the people they serve. Many Liberians believe the government should be cutting costs, lowering salaries, and shrinking itself—rather than adding new lawmakers who will need housing, offices, staff, security, vehicles, fuel, and legislative benefits.
Lawmakers Defend Expansion as Constitutional Duty
Despite the uproar, House leaders insist their hands are tied. Committee members repeatedly emphasized that the Constitution leaves no room for political discretion.
“This is about constitutional compliance and fairness,” a committee member told The Liberian Investigator. “Representation must follow population, not convenience.”
Yet critics counter that lawmakers selectively invoke the Constitution. They ask why legislators have not shown equal urgency in enforcing provisions on transparency, accountability, and public finance management.
Senate Review Ahead—and More Political Turbulence Expected
The Senate now must review and agree with the House’s decision, though analysts expect a heated debate once the issue reaches the Upper Chamber. Senators face the same public anger and the same constitutional pressures.
If passed, NEC will have to redraw Liberia’s entire electoral map within a relatively tight window, a process fraught with political risks, logistical challenges, and the possibility of legal challenges.
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