The House of Representatives has approved amendments to the Liberian Aliens and Nationality Law of 2022, unanimously removing restrictive clauses in the dual citizenship law. The revisions aim to protect the rights of natural-born Liberians who hold citizenship in other countries without renouncing their Liberian citizenship, allowing them to participate in elective positions.
Previously, the dual citizenship provisions, enshrined in the Aliens and Nationality Law of 2022, allowed Liberians to retain their citizenship after acquiring a second nationality but required individuals interested in contesting elective positions to renounce their other nationality at least one year before applying to the National Election Commission (NEC).
The recent amendments eliminate this requirement, acknowledging the circumstances that have led Liberians in the diaspora to acquire dual citizenship and ensuring they are not subjected to discriminatory practices.
Additionally, the updated law grants the Justice Minister the authority to challenge an individual's citizenship, focusing on safeguarding residency for aliens of good moral character with substantial investments in Liberia.
Streamlining the naturalization process, removing outdated regulations, promoting the employment of Liberians, and aligning laws with modern principles of reciprocity are other key features of the amended Alien and Nationality Law.
"The new Alien and Nationality law further removes references that are reminiscent of a colonial period in our country's history and aligns our laws based on reciprocity with other forward-thinking nations; and incorporates current government entities that were not in existence at the inception of the Law and clarify their functions and roles in the various processes to reflect the existing realities," a legislative source told the Daily Observer.
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Representative Musa Bility, the sponsor of the bill, emphasized that the amendments aim to align the Aliens and Nationality Law with the Liberian Constitution of 1986, creating a contemporary legal framework that addresses regulatory, policy, administrative, and operational aspects.
"The purpose of the bill is in compliance with Articles 27 & 28 of the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia (1986), amending Certain Provisions of the Aliens and Nationality Act of 2022, whose objective is to create a viable and contemporary Aliens and Nationality Laws with procedures and other functional activities, comprising regulatory, policies, administrative and operational," Bility said.
The restriction on elective offices was one of the most contentious in the Aliens and Nationality Law when it was passed in 2022. Many said that the members of the 54th legislature, out of greed and selfishness, decided to ostracize a huge portion of the global Liberian population from having access to elective positions in the country -- those backlashes might have led to a relook at the law.
