Monrovia – Naymote Partners for Democratic Development has released the findings of a nationwide monitoring assessment on lawmakers’ activities during Liberia’s 2026 legislative constituency break, revealing significant shortcomings in accountability, citizen engagement, and public reporting by elected officials.
By Emmanuel Wee-Conway
The assessment, released Monday, examined how members of the National Legislature utilized the constituency break period, which is provided for under Liberia’s amended legislative calendar and anchored in Article 32(b) of the 1986 Constitution. The break is intended to allow lawmakers to return to their districts to engage constituents, assess community priorities, and report on legislative performance and national decision-making.
Using its Constituency Accountability and Assessment Tool (CAAT), Naymote conducted what it described as Liberia’s first structured nationwide monitoring exercise on constituency engagement. The assessment covered 69 of Liberia’s 73 electoral districts across all 15 counties, representing approximately 95 percent national coverage.
Data collection was carried out between March 19 and May 8, 2026, by 75 trained county monitors deployed nationwide.
According to the findings, while many lawmakers maintained a physical presence in their constituencies during the break, meaningful accountability practices remained weak and inconsistent.
Among the 69 lawmakers monitored, 55 lawmakers, representing 80 percent, visited their constituencies during the break period; 44 lawmakers, or 64 percent, conducted town hall meetings or community consultations; 32 lawmakers, representing 46 percent, engaged citizens through local radio programs; and only 18 lawmakers, or 26 percent, presented formal reports on their legislative activities, budget decisions, or constituency performance.
The report noted that many constituency activities focused primarily on project inspections, dedications, donations, and ceremonial appearances, with limited emphasis on policy dialogue, legislative feedback, or structured accountability mechanisms.
Citizens who participated in town hall meetings reportedly raised recurring concerns about poor healthcare delivery, inadequate roads and infrastructure, limited access to quality education, unemployment, youth and women’s empowerment, and broader local development challenges.
Commenting on the findings, Naymote stressed that constituency visits alone are insufficient to ensure democratic accountability.
“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 in Liberia remains largely informal, fragmented, and weakly institutionalized, undermining public trust and limiting citizens’ ability to meaningfully evaluate the performance of elected officials.
In response, Naymote is calling for sweeping legislative and institutional reforms aimed at strengthening transparency and citizen-centered governance.
Among its recommendations are 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.
The organization also proposed the establishment of a formal Legislative Constituency Engagement Framework requiring lawmakers to hold structured town hall meetings and public consultations in their districts.
Other recommendations include the publication of constituency engagement schedules and post-break activity reports by the Legislature, increased 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 further 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, citizen engagement, and public policy advocacy across Liberia.
