Liberia: House Internal Crisis Leaves Executive In Ambivalence, Postpones Draft Budget Submission - FrontPageAfrica

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Monrovia – President Joseph N. Boakai’s administration has postponed the submission of the draft national budget for Fiscal Year 2025, citing ongoing tensions within the House of Representatives as the reason.

By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, gerald.koinyeneh@frontpageafricaonline.com

According to a communication from the Acting Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Samuel A. Stevquoh, the budget submission, initially scheduled for October 31, was postponed to November 8, 2024.

The delay, according to Minister Stevquoh, stems from unresolved internal conflicts within the House of Representatives. This conflict reached the Supreme Court, with House Speaker Hon. J. Fonati Koffa filing a Petition for a Writ of Prohibition. Speaker Koffa’s petition urged the Court to prevent certain House members from bypassing his authority and holding separate session.

In the letter addressed to Chief Clerk Mildred Sayon, the Minister also disclosed that Speaker had written the President informing him the majority members of the House were calling Executive Branch officials to appear directly before them in joint chamber, rather than under his direction and advised the President not to allow any member of the Executive to appear before them.

The Speaker’s argument posited that this action would “undermine the rule of law and set a dangerous precedent for our governance.”

However, on November 6, the Justice in Chambers Yarmin Gbeisay rejected Speaker Koffa’s petition, declining to issue the Writ of Prohibition.

Stevequoh said President Boakai is closely monitoring the situation and is seeking expert guidance on the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling. “The President regards the evolving situation with the utmost urgency and is unwavering about upholding the sanctity of the ‘three separate but coordinate branches of government,’” Stevquoh’s letter stated, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to safeguarding constitutional balance.

Observers say this latest development highlights significant tension between the Legislative and Executive branches and may shape Liberia’s governance practices.

The coming days will reveal how this judicial intervention and the President’s response impact both the legislative process and the preparation of the national budget.