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Liberia Holds Referendum
September 28, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

On August 23, Reuters reported that Liberia held a referendum to decide how and when the presidential election will be held later this year.  According to the Voice of America, the referendum contained various key propositions: reducing the residency requirement for presidential candidates from ten to five years, extending the retirement age of Supreme Court and other judges from 70 to 75 years, changing the election date from October to November, determining whether presidential elections would be decided by an absolute majority. The referendum is aimed at measuring the country's progress towards peace and reconciliation eight years after civil war ended. Liberia's main opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change, called for a boycott of the vote saying the proposed changes would make it easier for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to remain in power.

On August 24, AFP reported that Liberia's election commission played down a ballot paper error. In response, the National Election Commission Chairman, James Fromayan, stated that the referendum went well despite ballot paper error.  The ballots showcased a printing error in one of the amendments where voters were supposed to choose between 70 and 75 years as retirement ages for Supreme Court justices. However, the ballot papers listed the two choices as 75 and 75.

On August 29, the Voice of America reported that Fromayan expressed “concern about the large number of invalid votes.”  Fromayan stated that 252,320 of the votes cast were thrown out adding that “such high number of invalid ballots is worrisome.” Fromayan said an investigation to determine what had happened showed that “some people” had voted for both Yes and No. Fromayan also stated that it would be wrong to solely blame his commission for the large number of invalid votes. In his view, educating the public on election issues should not be the sole responsibility of the elections commissions alone. Two-thirds of those who cast ballots in the referendum must agree in order for any of the four propositions to pass.

On September 14, Voice of America reported that voters had defeated all four amendments. In response, the chairman of Liberia’s ruling Unity Party, Varney Sherman, filed a lawsuit against the National Elections Commission over the results. Sherman has asked the Supreme Court to nullify Article 1.1 of the Commission’s decree on endorsement of referendum results.

For previous news on Liberia, please see:
Liberian President Announces Bid for Re-Election in 2011

Sources:
Reuters – UPDATE 2-Liberians hold referendum, election dry run

AFP – Liberian officials play down ballot paper error

Voice of America – Ballot Error no Impact on Referendum Results, Says Liberian Elections Chief

Voice of America – Liberian Referendum Plagued by High Number of Invalid Votes

Voice of America – Liberia's Elections Commission Sued Over Referendum Results