Monrovia, Liberia — A new report by Naymote Partners for Democratic Development has raised concerns over the lack of accountability and citizen engagement among Liberian lawmakers during the 2026 legislative constituency break.
The nationwide monitoring assessment, released earlier this week, evaluated how members of the Liberian Legislature used the break period — mandated under Article 32(b) of the 1986 Constitution — to engage constituents, assess community priorities, and report on their legislative performance.
Findings of the Assessment
Using its Constituency Accountability and Assessment Tool (CAAT), Naymote monitored activities in 69 of Liberia’s 73 electoral districts, covering approximately 95 percent of the country. The exercise, conducted between March 19 and May 8, 2026, deployed 75 trained monitors across all 15 counties.
Key findings include: 55 lawmakers (80 percent) visited their districts; 44 lawmakers (64 percent) held town hall meetings or consultations; 32 lawmakers (46 percent) used local radio to interact with citizens; and only 18 lawmakers (26 percent) presented structured reports on legislative activities, budget decisions, or constituency performance.
The report noted that most activities centered on project inspections, dedications, donations, and ceremonial appearances, with limited emphasis on policy dialogue or structured accountability mechanisms.
Citizen Concerns
During town hall meetings, citizens repeatedly raised issues including poor healthcare delivery, inadequate roads and infrastructure, limited access to quality education, unemployment, and lack of youth and women’s empowerment initiatives.
Naymote’s Position
“Democratic representation must go beyond ceremonial appearances and political visibility,” said Eddie Jarwolo Sr., Executive Director of Naymote. “Citizens deserve regular access to information about how their lawmakers are performing, how public decisions are being made, and what actions are being taken to address local concerns.”
The organization warned that constituency accountability remains largely informal, fragmented, and weakly institutionalized, undermining public trust and limiting citizens’ ability to evaluate elected officials.
Recommendations
In response, Naymote is calling for sweeping reforms to strengthen transparency and citizen-centered governance. The organization recommends the mandatory adoption of standardized constituency reporting requirements for lawmakers during every constituency break, including disclosure of legislative interventions, committee participation, budget decisions, and constituency development activities.
It also proposes the establishment of a formal Legislative Constituency Engagement Framework requiring lawmakers to hold structured town hall meetings and public consultations in their districts.
Further recommendations include the publication of constituency engagement schedules and post-break activity reports by the Legislature, greater use of community radio and local media platforms to improve public participation, and stronger collaboration between the Legislature, civil society organizations, media institutions, and development partners to institutionalize accountability standards.
Naymote also called for the development of a national legislative accountability policy that would establish minimum standards for citizen engagement, transparency, reporting, and responsiveness by elected officials.
The organization urged the leadership of the National Legislature to move beyond voluntary practices and adopt enforceable accountability measures that guarantee citizens regular access to information and meaningful participation in governance.
Naymote reaffirmed its commitment to promoting democratic accountability, inclusive participation, and responsive governance through evidence-based monitoring and advocacy.
