Montserrado County District#16 Representative Dixon W. Seboe, writes the House of Representatives here, requesting that body to ask President George M. Weah to postpone all subsequent by- elections to 2020.
According to Rep. Seboe, Article 37 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia clearly provides provision for how and when a vacancy created in the Legislature should be filled.
He says because of such provision the Legislature has gone through a barrage of by- elections with particular notice on the frequent occurrences in recent years.
The Montserrado County lawmaker further notes the Constitution also speaks of the provocation of emergency powers by the President based on relevant prevailing situations, as was done most recently during the 2014 Ebola crisis, which led to the postponement of the midterm elections, among many other challenges.
Rep. Seboe says based on the constitutional provisions quoted above and considering the pronounced economic squeeze the country endures, as stated in President Weah’s latest speech, he requests as representative of the people to ask the President to declare an economic emergency, which will thereafter lead to a resolution from the Legislature for the sole purpose of hence, postponing all other by-elections that may be due after the already scheduled July 2, 2019 by-elections until the 2020 midterm election.
Meanwhile, the plenary of the House of Representatives has forwarded the communication to its committees on Election, Ways, Means and Finance and judiciary to report in two weeks. By Bridgett Milton –Editing by Jonathan Browne
