The Law Reform Commission (LRC) has intensified efforts to reform electoral laws.
The reform effort comes ahead of the 2029 general elections. It followed a high-level meeting with a team from the UNDP Electoral Support Program.
The meeting, held at LRC’s headquarters in Monrovia, was led by the Executive Chairperson, Bornor M. Varmah, and Robert David Irish, Inclusive Electoral Process, and Legal Reform Specialist of the UNDP Electoral Support Project.
Varmah: “One of our core focus areas is electoral reform intervention. For that, we have hosted the UNDP team to ascertain the status of the electoral reform initiative ahead of 2029.”
He said, the Commission has already conducted an audit of the electoral legal regime, and identified gaps that need urgent reform.
LRC, Varma said, is working with the National Elections Commission (NEC), civil society actors, and international partners, has submitted proposals on different electoral interventions. It is now drafting a comprehensive reform package.
“We have not been successful in reforming our electoral laws over the years. Now we have three more years before the election, and that is ample time to get it done.”
The reforms on the table, include political party regulation, campaign financing, voter registration, women’s political participation, and representation, election dispute resolution mechanisms, the structure, and role of the Board of Commissioners of NEC.
Other issues, include the date of elections, and voter trucking.
“The issues are political party regulation, campaign financing, voter registration, women participation, election offences, and dispute resolution. These are topical interventions that matter for our electoral system.”
Varmah disclosed how the Commission hopes to conclude the drafting process in less than one to two months, followed by peer review, and national validation with stakeholders, including the Legislature, before submission to the President for onward transmission to lawmakers.
He stressed the need to respect the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy, and good governance, which prohibits amending electoral laws six months to the holding of elections.
“We are mindful of time. We must ensure this process is consummated before the end of 2027, because ECOWAS does not permit members to tamper with electoral laws six months to elections.”
On support from partners, Cllr. Varmah said, LRC will develop a concept note for UNDP assistance to fund a validation exercise outside Monrovia to gather nationwide feedback.
He said, while LRC leads law drafting, and alignment with the constitution, the legislature retains constitutional authority to pass laws.
“There is no way you can bypass the legislature. They have the constitutional responsibility to pass laws. We must work with them from review to validation.”
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