The Speaker of Liberia’s House of Representatives, Jonathan Fonati Koffa, announced his resignation on Monday after months of political deadlock within the legislative chamber that has plunged the country into a deepening crisis. Koffa’s decision follows prolonged tensions between rival factions of lawmakers, which have severely disrupted the functioning of the lower house of parliament.
Last October, 47 of the chamber’s 73 members backed an impeachment motion against Koffa, accusing him of mismanagement, corruption, and conflicts of interest. However, the effort fell short of the two-thirds majority—49 votes—required by the constitution to remove him, leaving him technically still in office and creating a leadership standoff.
“We had a choice: go to the Capitol tomorrow and risk a repeat of violence, or step aside,” Koffa told journalists, citing the need to defuse rising tensions. The group of 47 lawmakers, known as the “Majority Bloc”, went as far as to appoint their own Speaker and pass the 2025 national budget independently, effectively running a parallel legislative process.
In April, Liberia’s Supreme Court ruled in Koffa’s favour, declaring the impeachment bid unconstitutional and asserting that the actions of the Majority Bloc had no legal basis. Despite the ruling, the political atmosphere remained tense, with the House scheduled to reconvene this week for the first time since the court decision.
Koffa acknowledged the Supreme Court’s verdict, saying it upheld his position as the rightful Speaker. However, he noted that the dynamics changed when President Joseph Boakai signalled a willingness to work with the Majority Bloc. “The rules of the game shifted,” Koffa said, adding that he also considered the plight of about 60 of his staff who had gone unpaid for six months due to the impasse.
The deadlock has not been without incident. In December, pro-Koffa demonstrations took place in Monrovia, and a fire broke out in the parliament building. An independent investigation conducted by a US team later confirmed the blaze was intentionally set, though no suspects have been publicly identified.
Liberia, still recovering from two civil wars and the 2014 Ebola epidemic, continues to face governance challenges. In the tightly contested October 2023 election, Joseph Boakai narrowly defeated former president and ex-footballer George Weah. With no single party gaining a majority in the House, Koffa—who belongs to Weah’s Coalition for Democratic Change—was elected Speaker in January 2023, setting the stage for the turbulent period that followed.
