By Our Reporter | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – Representative Musa Hassan Bility of Nimba County Electoral District #7 has submitted a legislative proposal seeking to repeal provisions of Liberia’s New Elections Law that allow legally registered political parties to be excluded, suspended, deregistered, or disqualified solely because of poor performance in previous elections.
The proposed legislation, titled the Political Inclusion and Democratic Participation Amendment Act of 2026, was formally communicated to the Plenary of the House of Representatives through the Speaker and calls for the complete repeal of Section 5.1(A) and related provisions of the Elections Law.
In his communication to lawmakers, Bility argued that democratic participation should not be determined by electoral outcomes, emphasizing that citizens, not government institutions, should decide the fate of political parties.
“This proposal is rooted in a simple democratic principle: the people, not the government, should decide which political parties survive and which political parties disappear,” Bility stated in his communication to Plenary.
According to the Nimba County lawmaker, the primary purpose of election laws is to facilitate political participation rather than restrict it. He maintained that political competition and freedom of association are fundamental constitutional rights that should not be conditioned upon a party’s performance at the polls.
“The role of election laws is to facilitate political participation, not to restrict it,” Bility declared.
The proposed amendment seeks to strengthen political inclusion by ensuring that legally registered political parties remain eligible to participate in elections regardless of their performance in previous contests. Under the bill, parties could only lose their eligibility for reasons unrelated to electoral performance and as otherwise provided by law.
Bility further argued that Liberia’s Constitution guarantees freedom of association, equal protection under the law, political participation, and the right of citizens to form and join political parties.
“These rights are not conditioned upon electoral success,” he emphasized.
If enacted, the legislation would repeal Section 5.1(A) of the New Elections Law in its entirety and eliminate any related provisions that authorize the exclusion, suspension, cancellation, deregistration, or disqualification of political parties solely because they performed poorly in prior elections.
The bill also places additional responsibilities on the National Elections Commission (NEC), requiring the electoral body to ensure equal opportunities for all legally registered political parties to participate in the democratic process.
Under Section 6 of the proposed legislation, no political party would be denied participation in any election solely because of its performance in a previous election. The measure is intended to create a more inclusive political environment and strengthen democratic competition across the country.
Bility has requested that the communication and attached legislation be forwarded to the appropriate committee of the House of Representatives for review, consideration, and recommendation.
If approved by the Legislature and subsequently enacted into law, the Political Inclusion and Democratic Participation Amendment Act of 2026 would mark a significant change in Liberia’s electoral framework by guaranteeing that legally registered political parties remain part of the democratic process regardless of their past electoral performance.
