MONROVIA – Sinoe County Senator Augustine Chea has strongly criticized President Joseph Boakai’s decision to submit the 2025 draft national budget to the Majority Bloc of the House of Representatives instead of the Speaker, labeling the move as legally and procedurally flawed.
In a statement titled “President Boakai Got It Wrong Again!”, Senator Chea argued that the budget submission violated the Liberian Constitution and the established administrative and legal framework governing legislative processes. He specifically questioned to whom the budget was addressed, asserting that Article 49 of the Constitution unequivocally designates the Speaker as the sole Presiding Officer of the House of Representatives.
“The House of Representatives has only one Presiding Officer, and that person is the Speaker—none other,” Senator Chea declared, quoting Article 49, which mandates the election of a Speaker every six years to preside over the House. “Where in this provision or elsewhere in the Constitution is reference made to the Chief Clerk, Deputy Chief Clerk, or Majority Bloc? Nowhere.”
Chea further cited Section 11(1) of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act of 2009, which stipulates that the President must submit the proposed budget to the Legislature no later than two months before the fiscal year begins. He argued that such communication should legally and administratively be addressed to the Speaker as the head of the Legislature, similar to how communications to the Judiciary are addressed to the Chief Justice.
He condemned the submission of the budget to the Deputy Chief Clerk, emphasizing that this individual has no constitutional or legal authority to receive the document. “Submitting the budget to the Deputy Chief Clerk is procedurally, legally, administratively, and traditionally wrong,” he stated, adding that the so-called Majority Bloc of the House lacks legal authority to act on the budget.
Chea warned that President Boakai’s recognition of the Majority Bloc by submitting the budget to them and allowing executive officials to appear before them undermines the rule of law and threatens the separation of powers. He noted that this act risks sowing discord between the Executive and Legislative branches, which have traditionally maintained a cordial and collaborative relationship.
“The President’s recognition of the so-called Majority Bloc makes him a party to the conflict,” Chea asserted. “This is a recipe for disharmony between the Legislature and the Executive.”
Chea also addressed claims that the President relied on House Rule 25.10, which allows the Chief Clerk to receive communications when the House is not in session. He refuted this interpretation, clarifying that the Legislature remains in session until mid-December, despite the current leadership crisis following the removal of Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
“Our Legislative Session has not ended,” Chea emphasized. “The House is not having Plenary Sittings due to the leadership crisis, but it is still in session.” He criticized arguments that the absence of Plenary Sitting or the submission of the budget on a non-session day justified the President’s actions, calling such reasoning baseless.
Senator Chea concluded by asserting that only the Constitution and laws of Liberia can confer legal authority to act on the budget. He warned that any actions taken by the Majority Bloc without the Speaker’s authority are “void ab initio” and called on President Boakai to adhere strictly to constitutional and legal norms to preserve the rule of law.
This controversy adds to the growing tensions between the Executive and Legislative branches amid the ongoing leadership crisis in the House of Representatives.
