Snowe wants eligibility bill amended

Bomi County District #1 Rep. Edwin M. Snowe says the Eligibility Bill recently passed by the Senate must be amended to include a clause requiring sitting Senators that are seeking the presidency to resign three years ahead of the polls before the House of Representatives can concur.

Mr. Snowe told reporters Thursday, 5 June at his Capitol Building office that the Eligibility Bill which orders the resignation of Representatives before contesting Senatorial posts is a good bill, but it needs amendment to include Senators with ambition for the presidency too.

Mr. Snowe says the amended version will require that any Senator who wants to be President should resign three years before contesting the presidency so that their constituency can find another Senator in place of the resigned one.

He praises the Senate for having done a good job, saying he welcomes it. But Mr. Snowe insists that as one of the leaders on the floor of the House of Representatives, the amended version of such bill from the House of Representatives will require any Senator that wants to contest for the Presidency to resign three years ahead of the election.

The Plenary of the Liberian Senate on Tuesday, 3 July passed the Eligibility Bill with amendment.The legislation known as “An Act to Regulate the Eligibility of Sitting Senators and Sitting Representatives for Ensuing Elections during their Terms” was on May 29, 2018 introduced by Grand Cape Mount County Sen. Cllr. Varney G. Sherman and has since been in committee room.

Following a debate on the legislative instrument during the 43rd day sitting on 3 July, a motion from Sen. J. Milton Teahjay of Sinoe County was unanimously voted upon by the Senate.

They voted to strengthen the Election Laws of Liberia and the Code of Conduct to call for the resignation of any lawmaker who may have any intention to contest any vacant post while serving his or her term both in the Liberian Senate and the House of Representatives.

The passage of the bill, however, according to the Joint Committee Report, will not affect the current vacant positions in the Liberian Senate which were created as a result of the elections of former Senator George Manneh Weah of Montserrado County and Former Senator Jewel Howard Taylor of Bong County who are now Presidents and Vice Presidents, respectively.

In another development, Rep. Snowe is calling on President George Manneh Weah not to appoint anyone from the Legislature to work in the Executive because such appointment would cause by-election.Mr. Snowe reminds the president that the country needs to save money.

By Bridgett Milton–Edited by Winston W. Parley