30/10/2024
Liberia: Amid House Crisis Fallah Begs for Time
been having seperate sessions away from the main chamber of House, while Speaker Koffa’s main chamber has lacked the constitutional requirement of 37 to reach a quorum for session. Based on this, the head of the Legislature, filed a complaint before the Supreme Court of Liberia – final arbiter of justice in the country , praying for a writ of prohibition on activities of the Majority Bloc. The Court then subsequently placed a stay order that halts any actions by the “Majority Bloc” until a conference scheduled for Monday, November 4, 2024 is held between both parties.
In his petition filed before the nation’s highest court necessitated the stay order, Speaker Koffa challenged the attempts by the Majority Bloc to remove him from his position as presiding officer of the 54th Legislature.
He (Speaker Koffa) contended that after two unsuccessful attempts by his leadership to reach a quorum in the House, the “Majority Bloc” prevented official legislative business.
He had challenged the “Majority Bloc” to secure the support of 49 lawmakers, as required by the House’s standing rules to remove him.
The House Speaker then took advantage of the legal proceeding by seeking the intervention from the Supreme Court to assess the constitutionality of the Majority Bloc’s actions and halt their proceedings, thus leading the Court to place the stay order on its (Majority Bloc) activities.
But the stay action was ignored by the body as the “Majority Bloc” went on to hold session on Tuesday and with vow to continue its activities up to the conference
