MONROVIA, LIBERIA – Speaker of the 55th National Legislature, Hon. Richard Nagbe Koon, has renewed his commitment to the advancement of women’s political representation during a keynote address delivered at the induction ceremony of newly elected officers of the Women Legislative Caucus of Liberia. The event, held Tuesday, May 27, 2025, on the grounds of the Capitol Building in Monrovia, brought together lawmakers, members of the press and invited guests in a display of solidarity toward gender equity in national leadership.
Delivering his remarks on behalf of the 55th Legislature, Speaker Koon congratulated the new corps of officers and described the occasion as a significant opportunity to recommit to the collective pursuit of inclusive governance. He emphasized that the ceremony was not only a celebration of women’s legislative leadership but also a call to action for addressing the ongoing underrepresentation of women in elected political positions.
According to the Speaker, the current state of women’s political participation in Liberia is alarming and demands urgent intervention. Citing data from the aftermath of the 2023 presidential and legislative elections, Koon highlighted that only 10.7 percent of legislators are women. Of the 73 seats in the House of Representatives, just eight are held by women, and only three women sit in the 30-member Senate.
Speaker Koon noted that one of the most persistent barriers to increasing women’s representation has been the repeated failure to pass legally binding gender quotas. He recalled multiple unsuccessful attempts between 2004 and 2023 to enact legislation that would mandate minimum levels of female participation in political party structures and candidate listings. A revised elections bill, introduced by Koon himself in January 2022 and passed by the House of Representatives a month later, faced stiff resistance in the Senate. Section 4.5 of the bill, which included provisions to penalize parties that failed to meet gender thresholds, was met with constitutional objections and ultimately weakened during Senate deliberations.
Despite these setbacks, Speaker Koon pledged to continue championing efforts aimed at achieving gender parity in the Legislature. He vowed to rally both male and female lawmakers in support of reintroducing the gender-sensitive provisions of the elections bill. Koon announced plans to lead a “He-for-She” campaign among male legislators to ensure that the political will exists to enact meaningful reforms that promote women’s leadership.
Addressing the newly inducted officers of the Women Legislative Caucus, the Speaker urged them to make it a priority to reverse the declining trend of female representation. He expressed hope that by the next induction ceremony, the Legislature would have made measurable progress in electing more women to public office.
As he concluded, Speaker Koon reminded attendees that Liberia cannot claim progress if nearly half of its population remains excluded from decision-making spaces. He called on all stakeholders to work collectively to translate vision into action and action into national transformation.
