Liberia‘s president calls for a referendum in a pandemic

George Weah, A former Chelsea football player and Liberia‘s president has called for a referendum about shortening presidential terms from six to five years and allowing citizens to have dual nationality.

Hundreds of thousands of Liberians are thought to reside overseas, having fled war and poverty. Under the current law, Liberians living in the diaspora acquiring another nationality, lose their Liberian citizen and therefore not own a home in Liberia, invest in the country among other restrictions. this vote could produce an economic boost for the West African nation of 4.8 million people which has been struggling to get back on its feet since the civil war.

though these new legislations seem progressive on paper, some of President George Weah’s critics are concerned that he could use the constitutional change to extend the number of terms that he serves.

Liberian presidents are limited to two terms, but constitutional changes in neighboring Guinea and Ivory Coast meant that the heads of state there could run for third terms despite the term limit still being in place. But Mr. Weah’s office has denied that this was his intention.