By: Laymah Kollie
The Organization for Women and Children (ORWOCH) has rejected proposed amendments to Section 4.5 of Liberia’s New Elections Law, warning that the changes risk undermining efforts to guarantee women’s political representation.
The proposed amendment, currently before the House of Representatives of Liberia during the 55th Legislature’s Special Session, seeks to revise provisions of the 1986 Elections Law, last amended in 2014.
While the new language introduces the term “shall” regarding gender balance, ORWOCH argues that accompanying clauses such as “good cause,” “best efforts,” and “sound discretion” weaken its enforceability.
In a statement issued in Monrovia, the organization said the inclusion of such terms creates loopholes that could allow political parties to bypass the 30 percent gender quota while still qualifying to contest elections.
“We do not need laws that ask parties to ‘endeavor’ or ‘try’ under a different name; we need a law that says: No 30%, No Ballot,” ORWOCH emphasized.
The group warned that the proposed framework effectively maintains the status quo, where parties can claim compliance efforts without delivering measurable outcomes.
According to ORWOCH, allowing the National Elections Commission to exercise discretion in determining compliance introduces subjectivity and weakens accountability.
As part of its recommendations, ORWOCH is urging lawmakers to remove all ambiguous language from the bill and establish the quota as a strict legal requirement.
The organization insists that any party failing to meet the 30 percent threshold should be barred from participating in elections.Additionally, ORWOCH proposed a 48-hour grace period for political parties to correct non-compliant candidate lists.
After that window, parties that fail to meet the requirement should face automatic disqualification.
The organization further stressed that the amended law must clearly prohibit exceptions or waivers, arguing that only firm enforcement mechanisms will ensure meaningful inclusion of women in Liberia’s political process.
