Liberia: Parliament reserves seats for women, disabled

By Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh

MONROVIA, Liberia (AA) – In a first for the West African region, Liberia is set to reserve seven special seats in Parliament for women, young people, and persons with disabilities.

Under a bill passed late Thursday, seven special constituencies will be added to the 73 seats of Liberia’s lower house, the House of Representative, making a total of 80 seats.

Five of the special seats are allotted for women, while people under 18 and persons with disabilities will get one seat each.

In the region, national parliaments are mostly dominated by men, with little participation by women, young people, or the disabled.

Currently, Liberia’s legislature has ta total of 11 women: three in the Senate, out of 15 seats, and eight in the House, out of 73 seats.

The bill must go through reconciliation, as an earlier version passed by the Senate had reserved 21 seats. Afterwards it be signed by the president to become law.