The National Coalition of Civil Society Organizations in the country says it is preparing to file a law suit against the National Legislature for adding nine additional seats to the current seats in the House of Representatives. In its recent joint resolution, the National Legislature added nine additional seats to sway away from the burden of passing the threshold Bill.

NACCSOL says the joint resolution which was subsequently signed into law by President Sirleaf is illegal and unconstitutional.

NACCSOL noted that it does not know the yard stick the National Legislature used to arrive at the nine additional seats it added to some counties.

The group says the lawmakers' action violates Article 80 D, and E of the Constitution of Liberia.

Article 80 'D' of the Constitution of Liberia provides, "Each constituency shall have an equal population of 20,000 or such number of citizens as the legislature shall prescribe in keeping with population growth and movements as revealed by a national census; provided that total number of electoral constituencies in the Republic does not exceed one hundred."

Article 80 'E' also provides, "immediately following a national census and before the next elections, the Election Commission shall reapportion the constituencies in accordance with the new population figures so that every constituents shall have as close to the same population as possible; provided, however, that a constituency must be solely within a county."

NACCSAL asserted that it will institute series of measures to protest the unconstitutional act.

NACCSAL made these remarks at a special edition of the Wilfred E. Clark Lecture Forum held in the conference room of the Gender Ministry on the theme; Implications for the Hosting of Credible Elections in 2011, in the absence of a threshold as provided for in the Liberian constitution.

Meanwhile, NEC Chairman James fromayan said the joint resolution by the legislature that was signed into law by the President will be a strict mandate to NEC in the conduct of next year's general and presidential elections.

Chairman Fromayan told a cross section of civil society organizations that it was not the business of NEC to say whether the lawmakers' joint resolution is legal or not. He added that only political parties can raise such argument because according to him, they are more concern about the end result of election than any other group.

He said NEC will play its role in conducting credible election next year.