Nimba County District #7 Representative, Musa Hassan Bility, has denounced the recently passed Threshold Bill describing it as a constitutional breach, an economic provocation, and political distortion Liberia cannot afford.” In an official statement released Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the Political leader of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) warned that the bill, presented as a routine adjustment to electoral population thresholds, was in fact a covert expansion of the House of Representatives, pushing the number of seats from 73 to 87.
The move, he said, violates the principle of equal representation, undermines the role of the National Elections Commission, and places an unsustainable financial strain on a struggling economy. Bility argued that the Constitution requires lawmakers to set a neutral population threshold based strictly on census data, not to create additional seats that serve political interests.
“The Legislature is supposed to establish a rule of fairness, not invent opportunities for more political chairs,” he said. According to Bility, the proposed expansion could push the Legislature’s already massive US$52 million budget to nearly US$60 million, before inflation or future adjustments, creating long-term fiscal burdens for taxpayers.
He warned that with every added seat, comes salaries, allowances, staff, and operational costs, potentially driving the legislative budget above US$100 million in the near future. “This is happening while hospitals lack syringes, classrooms are overcrowded and our young people roam the streets without hope. It sends a painful message that lawmakers care more about expanding their comfort than reducing hardship for citizens,” Bility narrated.
The CMC Political leader said the bill also threatens the country’s democratic integrity by allowing political actors to influence the number and shape of electoral districts, power that constitutionally belongs only to the NEC; such interference, risks creating unequal voting power among counties and deepening political resentment.
He appealed to the Liberian Senate to reject the bill and demand a constitutionally sound threshold law that retains the current number of seats; calling on civil society, the media, and ordinary citizens to study the bill carefully and oppose what he described as a dangerous precedent. Bility hinted that the matter may ultimately land before the Supreme Court, which he said remains the final guardian of constitutional discipline.
“Liberia is at a fragile moment. When the political branches lose their way, the Court must call them back to the Constitution we all swore to uphold,” he added. The Threshold Bill now awaits Senate concurrence amid intensifying public debate over the cost, legality, and consequences of expanding the national legislature.
