Former SLPP Sec-Gen Blasts Parliament Over Constitutional Amendment Procedure

Former SLPP Sec-Gen Blasts Parliament Over Constitutional Amendment Procedure

Private legal practitioner and former Secretary General of the Sierra Leone People’s party Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie has strongly criticized Sierra Leone’s Parliament over its handling of the recent Constitutional Amendment Bill, labeling the proceedings a “comedy of errors.”

Speaking on Truth Media, Tejan-Sie argued that the Speaker of Parliament misinterpreted Section 108 of the 1991 Constitution, which strictly regulates constitutional alterations. 

According to Tejan-Sie, Section 108 mandates a two-thirds voting majority and, for specific entrenched provisions, a public referendum. He stressed that these high thresholds were intentionally designed into the 1991 Constitution to protect citizens' fundamental political rights and prevent arbitrary modifications to the nation's governing framework.

Beyond the voting thresholds, Tejan-Sie questioned the parliamentary sequence and challenged the Speaker’s claim that the matter could be referred to the Supreme Court post-passage, noting that such referral authority lies with the President under Section 122.

Warning of severe legal fallout, Tejan-Sie cautioned that enacting legislation without adhering to explicit constitutional requirements undermines the authority of Parliament and threatens the legitimacy of the country’s supreme law.