20100122
allafrica

The hurdle to the 2011 general and presidential elections has been cleared after legislators finally saw wisdom and enacted the controversial constituency threshold bill Wednesday.

The bill is key to the 2011 elections as it sets the basis for constituency demarcation and legislative representation, but since its introduction in 2008, it has suffered several setbacks, characterized with drama, tussles and Presidential veto.

There will be 87 elected members in the House of Representatives in the next legislature, an increase of 23 (64 currently) ,based on the new Population Threshold Bill which

stipulates 40,000 people per electoral constituency annulling the previous 20,000 people requirement.

With this new threshold several less populated counties mostly those in the country's southeastern region will have fewer Representatives, while those with large population will have increment in representation in the House. Grand Kru, the country's least populated county with a population in the neighborhood of 50,000 will have a single electoral constituency with a corresponding one Representative.

Populated counties like Montserrado, Nimba, Bong and Lofa will have 29,12, eight and seven Representatives respectively.

The new threshold is being established based on a constitutional requirement which mandates the legislature to set a constituency threshold following the conduct of census in every ten years.