Monrovia, Liberia – In a decisive move aimed at safeguarding the integrity of national legislation, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has exercised his constitutional authority to veto two bills recently passed by the National Legislature. The two bills from the Legislature seeking to decentralize the operations of Liberia’s ports and create an Independent Seaport and Inland Ports Regulatory Authority, effectively ending the National Port Authority’s monopoly over port management.
The Senate first passed the bills on November 20, 2024, proposing autonomous status for Liberia’s major seaports Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, and Harper. The legislation includes the establishment of nine-member boards to govern each port. Following Senate approval, the bills were transmitted to the House of Representatives, where they were reviewed by the joint committees on Maritime, Finance, and Development Planning.
On June 24, 2025, at its 12th Day Sitting of the Second Quarter of the 55th Legislature, the House of Representatives concurred with the Senate, opening the way for the measures to be submitted to the President for approval. Meanwhile, the decision of the President to Vito the law is in compliance with Article 35 of the 1986 Constitution which specifies that:
“Each bill or resolution which shall have passed both Houses of the Legislature shall, before it becomes law, be placed to the President for approval. If the President approves, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it with his objections to the House whence it originated. That House shall enter the objections in its notebook and begin to reconsider it. If, after such review, two-thirds of the members present shall agree to adopt the bill or resolution, it shall be submitted together with the objections to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if accepted by two-thirds of the members present, it shall become law.”
In a formal written communication to Senate President Pro-Tempore, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, President Boakai used Article 35 of the Constitution of Liberia, which authorizes the President to accept or disapprove laws filed by the Legislature.
Among the primary objections mentioned by the President was the makeup of a nine-member board for each port, a measure he described as “excessive.” He also identified anomalies in key areas of the laws that might lead to confusion and misinterpretation.
“These provisions will have to be made and/or clarified to avoid future confusion and misinterpretation,” President Boakai wrote.
He stressed that the laws, in their current form, include loopholes that might badly harm the country if not rectified. “In light of the aforementioned considerations and using the power granted to me by Article 35 of the Republic of Liberia’s Constitution, I hereby VETO the two bills and return them so that the National Legislature may kindly take another look and close any necessary gaps for the benefit of the nation and its citizens,” the President said.
In addition to thanking the Senate for its assistance, President Boakai voiced his hope that the Legislature will move responsibly and quickly to amend the laws in a way that represents good governance and the interests of the country.
Photo credit: Executive Mansion
Reported by: G Bennie Bravo Johnson, I
