Liberia: Candidate Quotas Alone Won't Increase Women's Representation-EFFL Says

Monrovia, June 29, 2026 - The Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL) says requiring political parties to field at least 30 percent female candidates will not, by itself, increase women's representation in the National Legislature, proposing instead that Liberia adopt a proportional representation electoral system.

Speaking in Monrovia on Saturday, EFFL Political Leader Emmanuel Gonquoi said the party supports greater participation of women in politics but believes broader electoral reforms are needed to ensure more women are elected.

"The objective should not simply be to increase the number of women contesting elections, but to ensure more women are actually elected," Gonquoi said.

His remarks come as lawmakers continue debating a proposed New Elections Law that includes a mandatory requirement for political parties to nominate at least 30 percent female candidates.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Gonquoi noted that efforts to improve women's political representation have been underway for more than a decade.

He recalled that the 2014 amendment to the New Elections Law encouraged political parties to nominate at least 30 percent candidates from either gender but carried no penalties for non-compliance, resulting in limited implementation.

He also referenced a 2022 amendment passed by the House of Representatives that would have made the quota mandatory, but which was vetoed in 2023 by then-President George Weah on constitutional and timing grounds.

According to the EFFL, women currently occupy fewer than 12 percent of seats in the National Legislature despite years of advocacy and voluntary commitments by political parties.

The party argued that under Liberia's winner-takes-all electoral system, increasing the number of female candidates does not necessarily translate into more women winning legislative seats because voters--not political parties--ultimately determine election outcomes.

Instead, the EFFL proposed replacing the current electoral system with proportional representation, under which voters would cast ballots for political parties rather than individual candidates.

Under such a system, legislative seats would be allocated according to each party's share of the national vote, while political parties would be required to structure their candidate lists to ensure that at least 30 percent of elected lawmakers are women.

The party said the proposal would guarantee actual representation rather than simply increasing the number of women contesting elections.

Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters

Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox

Beyond gender representation, the EFFL also called for nationwide biometric voter registration and verification, arguing that the technology would eliminate duplicate registration, reduce voter fraud and impersonation, improve the accuracy of the voter roll, and strengthen public confidence in election results.

The party further proposed reforms aimed at strengthening the independence of the National Elections Commission (NEC), including maintaining the retirement age for commissioners at 70 and setting the minimum appointment age at 40 years.

According to the EFFL, comprehensive electoral reform should focus not only on expanding political participation but also on strengthening the institutions responsible for ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections.

The party concluded that if Liberia is serious about increasing women's representation in the Legislature, the national debate must move beyond candidate quotas to reforms capable of producing measurable and lasting results.