Kamara Asserts Two-Thirds Majority Requirement for Constitutional Amendments
All People's Congress (APC) flag bearer aspirant Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara has issued a statement addressing the ongoing debate surrounding the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Act, 2025.
Kamara criticized recent proposals to interpret the constitutional voting threshold as merely a majority of members present, describing such interpretations as legally unsound and a threat to constitutional integrity.
Citing Section 108(2)(b) of the Constitution, the legal expert argued that the language is explicit in requiring the votes of two-thirds of the entire membership of Parliament. He emphasized that this represents a fixed threshold intended to ensure that any amendment to the nation's supreme law reflects a broad supermajority consensus of the whole House rather than a fraction of those in attendance.
Kamara warned that allowing a simple majority of a quota to bind the nation would undermine the purpose of supermajority requirements. He noted that such logic fails to distinguish between ordinary parliamentary business and the rigorous safeguards established to protect the Constitution from partisan influence.
Concluding his statement, Kamara stated that constitutional sovereignty must not be compromised for political convenience.
He maintained that the required votes must be calculated based on the full membership of Parliament, asserting that any amendment passed using a lesser standard would be procedurally invalid and constitutionally void.
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