10/12/2025
HOUSE APPROVES CREATION OF 14 NEW ELECTORAL DISTRICTS.
By: Victor Quaye
Capitol Building, Monrovia Liberia - The House of Representatives has voted to establish fourteen new electoral districts, marking one of the largest legislative expansions in more than a decade and setting the stage for significant political change ahead of the 2029 General and Presidential Elections.
The decision follows a detailed report from the Joint Committee on Elections and Inauguration, Judiciary, and Good Governance & Government Reform. The committee outlined constitutional, demographic, and political factors driving the reapportionment, citing the 2022 National Population and Housing Census as the legal trigger for redrawing constituency boundaries. Under Article 80(d) and (e) of the 1986 Constitution, constituencies must reflect โapproximately equal populationsโ and be adjusted immediately after a census.
Liberia has not undergone a full constituency realignment since 2011, when boundaries were set through political compromise rather than accurate population data. The committee stressed that years of civil conflict, internal displacement, and rapid urban migration have left districts with wide disparities in voter populations. For instance, Montserradoโs District #4 has more than 76,000 voters, while District #8 has just 37,000. Similar imbalances exist in Margibi, Nimba, B**g, and River Gee counties.
Committee Chairman Hon. Prof. Thomas Romeo Quioh emphasized that boundary setting is central to democratic fairness, noting that every citizenโs vote must carry equal weight.
The report also referenced international best practices and recommendations from election observers such as The Carter Center, which have long criticized Liberiaโs uneven district sizes.
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to constitutional compliance and coordination among key institutions, including the National Elections Commission (NEC), Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), National Identification Registry (NIR), Liberia Land Authority (LLA), and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).
It also pointed out that the Constitution allows up to 100 seats in the House, leaving room for expansion in line with population growth. Lawmakers, however, reacted sharply to the report. Some accused the proposals of favoring certain counties, while Representative Noah criticized the voting procedure as โillegal,โ though he did not oppose the reportโs content.
The bill, first introduced in the 54th Legislature by Montserrado County District #1 Representative Richard Nagbe Koon, resurfaced in the 55th Legislature and was passed during the 16th sitting of the Houseโs third quarter session. It now awaits concurrence in the Senate.
The committee urged swift action to reassign voters to their new districts and avoid delays similar to those seen before the 2017 and 2023 elections. It concluded that Liberia stands at a pivotal moment where accurate data, institutional cooperation, and political will are essential to producing a fair electoral map that strengthens democratic governance.
The billโs passage has already stirred public debate, with critics raising concerns about lawmakersโ salaries and benefits. Questions over the financial impact of the expansion on the national budget remain at the center of public discussion.
