Liberia: Liberia's Postwar Constitution Review - a Tale of Mistrust and Uncertainty

Apr 30, 2015 | Richard Akum and Mainlehwon Vonhm, African Arguments
View Original

When under review, a constitution (the supreme law of the land) reveals issues of collective angst within the land. In Liberia, the process to review the 1986 constitution began in 2012. The de jure ramifications of constitutional reviews, especially in postwar environments, are self-evident in the formalization of the governing law. However, its de facto implications alter lives, social relationships and power dynamics within states. In the Liberian case, the constitutional review process is as important as its eventual outcome. A look at the process, however, exposes fault lines on issues of citizenship, secularism, political term limits and land rights (in relation to mineral resources). The process also shows the active participation of local communities in a predominantly internationally-funded and nationally-driven postwar state-building exercise.