MONROVIA – The Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) has called on the Liberian Senate to reject the recently passed Threshold Bill, which seeks to increase the number of seats in the House of Representatives from 73 to 87. In a press statement issued on December 10, 2025, CMC warned that the legislation is more than a technical adjustment, describing it as “classic gerrymandering” designed to benefit sitting lawmakers rather than the Liberian people.
“The House of Representatives has taken upon itself a role not constitutionally prescribed to it but rather to the National Elections Commission,” CMC Chairman James M. V. Yougie said. He argued that the bill effectively allows lawmakers to determine the placement of new seats, control constituency boundaries, and secure political advantage for themselves, undermining the impartiality of the electoral system.
Under Liberia’s Constitution, the National Elections Commission (NEC) is mandated to draw legislative districts using census data and clear rules to ensure fairness. CMC emphasized that the Threshold Bill bypasses this neutral process, giving politicians the power to choose voters rather than allowing voters to choose their representatives. “By letting the Legislature usurp this authority and fix constituency arrangements, this bill takes power away from the NEC and hands it to the very people who stand to benefit,” Yougie said.
The CMC statement highlighted significant disparities in representation under the proposed scheme. While the constitutional benchmark is roughly 20,000 citizens per district, some counties already have far more people per representative than others. Allocating new seats without following a strict population-based approach risks entrenching inequality, giving some citizens disproportionately greater political influence. “When politicians allocate new seats through the manner prescribed by this bill, they are hard‑wiring those inequalities into the map,” Yougie warned.
Currently, Liberia’s House of Representatives has 73 seats, and the Constitution caps constituencies at 100. By using 14 of the remaining 27 potential seats now, the CMC cautioned that future population growth will leave subsequent constituencies larger, diluting the individual voices of voters in the coming generations. “This bill spends tomorrow’s democratic space on today’s political deals,” the statement noted.
Beyond constitutional concerns, the Threshold Bill carries significant economic implications. Each new representative comes with a full complement of salaries, benefits, staff, offices, vehicles, fuel, security, and election administration costs. CMC estimated that increasing the House by 14 members, a nearly 20 percent rise, would inflate the legislative budget from approximately $52 million to $54 million annually, permanently diverting taxpayer funds away from critical sectors.
The organization stressed that Liberia operates on a tight national budget, where every dollar is critical for health, education, and social welfare. Additional legislative spending would reduce funding for hospitals, clinics, vaccination programs, schools, teacher training, and student support. CMC argued that this diversion directly impacts vulnerable populations and limits the government’s ability to respond to emergencies or invest in infrastructure.
“The long-term economic consequence is a cycle in which critical public services are underfunded, exacerbating inequality and hindering sustainable growth,” Yougie said. He warned that the Threshold Bill not only inflates government expenditure but also carries a hidden cost in lost opportunities for development and social progress.
The CMC also highlighted the political dangers of the bill, stressing that once new districts are established, they become high-value political assets that are extremely difficult to reverse. Gerrymandering through such legislation, they warned, locks in political advantage for years and compromises the principle of population-based representation.
“You cannot separate fairness in representation from the economic and social well-being of citizens,” Yougie said. “Every extra political seat added is money taken away from essential services in your community. Gerrymandered seats mean some communities’ votes are structurally heavier than others.”
CMC called on the Senate to reject the Threshold Bill, asserting that it prioritizes political self-interest over national development. They also urged NEC, civil society organizations, the Liberia National Bar Association, religious institutions, traditional leaders, and the public to speak out against the manipulation of electoral boundaries and defend the integrity of Liberia’s democratic process.
The movement also called on young Liberians to remain peaceful but vocal, encouraging them to question elected representatives, demand transparency, and resist being misled by technical jargon that conceals political maneuvering. “Liberia does not need more politicians. Liberia needs more honesty, more accountability, and real results,” the statement declared.
CMC underscored that this is a critical moment for Liberia, where the choices of today’s lawmakers could determine the fairness and effectiveness of the country’s legislative framework for decades. By challenging the Threshold Bill, the organization positioned itself as a watchdog advocating for constitutional adherence, fiscal prudence, and citizen-centered governance.
The group described itself as a citizens-driven movement committed to accountability, opportunity, and dignity for all Liberians, stressing that its mission is to ensure government policies prioritize the people above political expediency.
