- Liberians will head to the polls on December 8, to vote in a referendum and also to elect 15 new senators.
- The election has reportedly split the nation between the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
Liberians will head to the polls on December 8, to vote in a referendum and also to elect 15 new senators. The election has reportedly split the nation between the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
A two-third majority of registered voters in the referendum could see a change in the Liberian Constitution or retain it just as is. The referendum is taking place on 8 prepositions, each intended to amend different articles within the country’s 1986 Constitution. They seek amendments to Article 28 to allow dual citizenship, Article 45 and 48 reductions in Senatorial tenure from the current 9 years to 7 years and reduction in the tenure of Representatives from 6years to 5years respectively. Both Senate Pro-tempt and House Speakers will also see a reduction in their respective tenures from 6years to 5years.
The other changes in the Constitution include an amendment to Article 50, that will reduce the Presidential and Vice Presidential tenures from 6years to 5years. Article 83 (a) seeks to change the date of the General Elections from the 2nd Tuesday in October to November.
The ruling CDC has campaigned for a “Yes” vote to all of the prepositions, while the opposition parties led by the CPP, which comprises four parties have called for a boycott on the ground that the time was too short to hold the voting.118 contenders are in the Senate race for 15 Senators across the country with only 8 are female contestants. The senatorial race is being dominated by the main opposition CPP, and the CDC, with an intense rivalry. Political observers are of the view that the Senatorial race would be a determining factor for the 2023 Presidential elections
