President Joseph Nyuma Boakai issued an official proclamation on Monday, August 26, 2024, calling for a special session of the 55th Legislature. The session is scheduled to commence on Thursday, August 29, 2024, and extend until Thursday, September 19, 2024.
The purpose of this special session, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, is to address pressing national issues, such as the Proposed Recast Budget, which cannot be postponed until the regular legislative session in October.
"The President cannot wait until the regular legislative session resumes in October 2024," the Executive Mansion said in a statement on Monday.
The proclamation is issued in accordance with Article 32(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, which grants the President the authority to extend or call a special session of the Legislature upon receiving a certificate signed by at least one-fourth of the total membership of each House.
"The certificate has been duly received by President Boakai, prompting this extraordinary session of the Legislature," the Mansion said, noting that the President highlights the critical importance of this session in addressing significant concerns related to the country's fiscal stability and development.
With this proclamation, the 55th Legislature, containing both the House of Representatives and the Senate, will be reconvening on Thursday, August 29, to reconvene for a two-week period to address critical national and economic issues.
This recall, however, marks the 2nd Extraordinary Session of the 1st Session of the 55th Legislature, scheduled to run from August 22nd to September 6th, 2024.
The decision to reconvene follows the 1st Extraordinary Session initiated by President Joseph N. Boakai for 30 days, April 1 - 30, 2024, to discuss and act on "time-bound, critical national issues."
The lawmakers were scheduled to return in early October but are now constrained to return and make decisions on pressing national issues--the most important being the recently presented draft recast budget.
While the House of Representatives has reportedly secured signatures for a certificate to reconvene, it took the Senate some time to prepare for the extraordinary session to proceed.
About 29 members of the House of Representatives, according to reliable sources, have affixed their signatures to the Certificate to Reconvene for an Extraordinary Session, comprising more than one-fourth (1/4) of the House's membership.
"We the below members of the 55th Legislature, having acknowledged that there are several legislations of time-sensitive and integrity, coupled with the submission of the draft Recast Budget, which demand the urgent attention of the Legislature, do thereby affix our signatures, in pursuant of Article 32 (b) of the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, to reconvene for the second Regular Session commencing Thursday, August 29, 2024 and ending Thursday, September 19, 2024," The Certificate To Reconvene says.
Article 32 (b) of the Constitution states: "The President shall, on his own initiative or upon receipt of a certificate signed by at least one-fourth of the total membership of each house, and proclamation, extend a regular session of the Legislature beyond the date for adjournment or called a special extraordinary session of that body to discuss or act upon matters of national emergencies and concerns. When the extension or called is at the request of the Legislature, the proclamation shall be issued not later than forty-eight hours after receipt of the certificate by the President."
Over the weekend, the Senate finally concurred with the House of Representatives with the signatures of more than eleven (11) Senators, which is equivalent to more than one-fourth (1/4) of the Senate's membership to meet the constitutional requirement for a recall.
Thursday's recall will be the 2nd extraordinary session, which is in consonance with Article 32(b) of the Liberian Constitution, for members of the Legislature to sign a certificate to reconvene.
The certificate mandates both Houses of the Legislature to reconvene beginning Thursday, August 29, and ending on Thursday, September 19, 2024 is intended for members of the body to cut short their constitutional break which commenced on July 20, 2024, and ends on October 11, 2024.
The administration of President Boakai has taken proactive measures to address a potential budget shortfall by revising the 2024 national budget. The budget has been reduced by US$17 million, representing a 2.3% (US$721.8) cut from the initial budget of US$738.8 million agreed upon in April.
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This significant reduction will hurt public spending for specific infrastructure projects, goods, and services. The decision to reshape the budget downward, an embarrassing development, comes after the Liberia Revenue Authority reported strong revenue performance to lawmakers recently.
The legislature now needs to act on the draft recast budget so that it gets passed.
Other legislative instruments that would be addressed during the pending extraordinary session would be the 2024 Presidential Transitional Act, the National TVET Commission Act, The Yellow Machines' Loan, and the confirmation of Presidential nominees, among others.
The three-week session is expected to provide an opportunity for the Legislature to act on key concerns affecting the nation's fiscal stability and development agenda, the Executive Mansion added.
