Integrity Watch Liberia (IWL) has warned that the proposal to create 14 additional seats in the House of Representatives could cost the country more than US$27 million over a single six-year term—an expense the group describes as “costly politics.”
According to IWL’s preliminary estimates, adding 14 lawmakers would require over US$23 million in salaries, benefits, and operational support. The organization further projects that the National Elections Commission (NEC) may need an additional US$3–4 million to administer the expanded constituencies during the 2029 elections.
“In total, Liberia could spend more than US$27 million simply to enlarge the Legislature,” the group noted.
IWL argues that such an amount could instead strengthen essential public services, including hospitals lacking medicines, schools without adequate seating, and communities without basic infrastructure.
While acknowledging that expanding representation is important in a growing democracy, the organization says the current proposal raises serious concerns that must be addressed before lawmakers proceed.
Chief among these concerns is the absence of a publicly available, census-based methodology explaining why exactly 14 seats are being added and how they are distributed among counties.
The group cautions that Article 80 of the Constitution—not political negotiations—should guide all decisions related to reapportionment.
IWL describes the proposal as risky, costly, unclear, and “constitutionally shaky,” stressing that the public has not been shown the data or formula used to justify the expansion.
The organization emphasized that while it supports representative democracy, such reforms must be sustainable and must not impose a financial burden without clear public benefit.
To ensure accountability and protect public resources, IWL is urging policymakers to: Publish the census based formula behind the 14 seat proposal, conduct a full fiscal impact assessment before any approval, hold public consultations with experts, citizens, and civil society, ensure decisions are data driven rather than politically motivated, and explore lower cost alternatives to improve representation without inflating governance expenses.
