On 13 May, Liberia’s House of Representatives elected a new Speaker, breaking a six-month deadlock between two factions over the leadership of the lower chamber. During this period, the factions have held separate and uncoordinated sittings under rival speakers, thereby disrupting parliamentary processes and raising political tensions within and outside the House. The split was precipitated by a failed attempt from the larger grouping (the Majority Bloc) to impeach the then Speaker and opposition representative Jonathan Fonati Koffa over alleged corruption and poor governance, prompting it to break away and unilaterally elect its own speaker, Richard Nagbe Koon (a representative of the ruling Unity Party). Despite an April Supreme Court ruling reaffirming him as the legitimate Speaker, Koffa resigned on 12 May, citing declining parliamentary support and the government’s insistence on working with the Majority Bloc. Koon was elected as Speaker by a reunified House the following day.       

Sources: Front Page Africa, Liberian Observer, Dubawa, Jeune Afrique, International IDEA

An ongoing stalemate between two factions of Liberia’s House of Representatives over attempts to remove the Speaker, deepened in November, as the larger faction (the Majority Bloc) purported to elect an alternative speaker and suspended three members of the opposing grouping that is loyal to the speaker. In October, the Majority Bloc began holding separate sittings after failing to garner the two-thirds majority required to remove Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa, whom they accuse of corruption. At the beginning of December, there was uncertainty about which speaker would be recognised by President Joseph Boakai and the Senate, which suspended cooperation with the House. The crisis has held up the passage of the 2025 draft national budget and caused popular frustration, at a time when the country is facing economic and governance challenges.

Update: On 23 April 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the Majority Bloc’s attempt to remove Speaker Koffa was unconstitutional, reaffirming him as the legitimate Speaker. However, on 25 April, Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon — a leading figure in the Majority Bloc who leads the campaign to unseat Koffa — filed a petition for re-argument, which the Court has docketed. As a result, the House remains paralysed, with official business still on hold pending the outcome of the legal challenge.

Sources: New Republic Liberia, Front Page Africa (1), Front Page Africa (2), Liberian Observer, The Africa Report, The Liberian Investigator

On 2 May, President Joseph Boakai signed an executive order paving the way for the establishment of a Special War Crimes Court for Liberia and an anti-corruption court. The former is to prosecute people and organisations responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Liberian civil war (1979-2003).  This court will be an international tribunal established by the Liberian government in conjunction with international partners but its jurisdiction and location are yet to be determined. The executive order follows a parliamentary resolution in April calling for the establishment of such a court and it represents the first domestic attempt to hold perpetrators legally accountable for the massacres, rape and torture carried out during the conflict. The anti-corruption court will be domestic and have the ‘power to adjudicate matters involving acts of corruption’ committed during the civil war. Legislation will need to be passed by parliament to establish this court.

Sources: The President of the Republic of Liberia, New York Times, The Africa Report, British Broadcasting Corporation       

In the first round of the presidential election in October, leading candidates Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) and incumbent President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) were separated by less than one per cent of the vote. Voters were asked to choose between these top two candidates in a second round on 14 November. The official results from the National Elections Commission gave Boakai 50.6 per cent, while Weah received 49.4 per cent. Turnout was 66.1 per cent of registered voters, down from 78.8 per cent in the general election (including the first round of the presidential election) in October. Weah was quick to concede to Boakai and made a public statement urging his supporters to accept the result of the election. His support for the electoral process was widely celebrated in the region. Observers from the European Union stated that the second round was well conducted, and some of the procedural problems in the first round had been corrected.

Sources: National Elections Commission, Reuters, News24, European Union