1945 Liberian constitutional referendum

Last updated

A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 1 May 1945. [1] The change to the constitution was approved in the Legislature in December 1945, and would grant the right to vote to citizens living in the three inland provinces, providing they paid a "hut tax". [1] It also granted parliamentary representation to Grand Cape Mount County and Marshall territory. [1] The changes were approved by voters. [1]

Constitutional change

The proposed changes would be to Chapter I, article 11 and Chapter II, article 2. [1]

SectionOriginal textNew text
Chapter I
article 11
All elections shall be by ballot and every male citizen, of twenty-one years of age, possessing real estate, shall have the right of suffrage.All elections shall be by ballot and every male citizen, of twenty-one years of age, possessing real estate, shall have the right of suffrage. When applied to voters in the Provinces of the hinterland of the Republic, "possessing real estate" shall be construed to include possessing a hut on which he pays the hut tax.
Chapter II
article 2
The representatives shall be elected by, and for the inhabitants of the several counties of Liberia, and shall be apportioned among the several Counties of Liberia as follows: The County of Montserrado shall have four representatives; the County of Grand Bassa shall have three representatives; the County of Sinoe shall have three representatives; the County of Maryland shall have three representatives; and all counties that shall hereafter be admitted in the Republic shall have one representative; and for every ten thousand inhabitants one representative shall be added. No person shall be a representative who has not resided in the county two whole years immediately previous to his election and who shall not when elected, be an inhabitant of the county, and does not own unencumbered real estate of not less value than one thousand dollars in the county in which he resides and who shall not have attained the age of twenty-three years.The representatives shall be elected by, and for the inhabitants of the several counties and provinces of Liberia, and shall be apportioned among the several Counties and Provinces of Liberia as follows: The County of Montserrado shall have five representatives; the Territory of Marshall shall have one representative; the County of Grand Bassa shall have four representatives; the County of Sinoe shall have four representatives; the County of Maryland shall have four representatives; the County of Grand Cape Mount shall have three representatives; and the three existing Provinces of the Republic situated in the hinterland thereof shall each have one representative; and all counties that shall hereafter be admitted in the Republic shall have one representative; and for every ten thousand inhabitants one representative shall be added. No person shall be a representative who has not resided in the county or province two whole years immediately previous to his election and who shall not when elected, be an inhabitant of the county, and does not own unencumbered real estate of not less value than one thousand dollars in the county in which he resides or who in the provinces shall not own a hut in which he resides and for which he pays the hut tax; and who shall not have attained the age of twenty-three years.

A two-thirds majority in the vote was necessary for the changes to be approved. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Japan</span> Supreme law of Japan

The Constitution of Japan is the constitution of Japan and the supreme law in the state. Written primarily by American civilian officials working under the Allied occupation of Japan, the constitution replaced the Meiji Constitution of 1890 when it came into effect on 3 May 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charter of the United Nations</span> 1945 foundational treaty of the United Nations

The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the United Nations, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of the Republic of China</span> Supreme law of the East Asian country

The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fifth and current constitution of the Republic of China (ROC), ratified by the Kuomintang during the Constituent National Assembly session on 25 December 1946, in Nanjing, and adopted on 25 December 1947. The constitution, along with its Additional Articles, remains effective in ROC-controlled territories.

A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, they can be appended to the constitution as supplemental additions, thus changing the frame of government without altering the existing text of the document.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Liberia</span> Head of state and government of Liberia

The president of the Republic of Liberia is the head of state and government of Liberia. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties intended to show their consent by such an act. In the case of bilateral treaties, ratification is usually accomplished by exchanging the requisite instruments, and in the case of multilateral treaties, the usual procedure is for the depositary to collect the ratifications of all states, keeping all parties informed of the situation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Barclay</span> President of Liberia from 1930 to 1944

Edwin James Barclay was a Liberian politician, poet, and musician who served as the 18th president of Liberia from 1930 until 1944. He was a member of the True Whig political party, which dominated the political governance of the country for decades. Under Barclay's leadership, Liberia was an ally of the United States during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Representatives of Liberia</span> Lower house of Liberian legislature

The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia, and together with the Senate comprises the Legislature of Liberia. The number of seats is fixed by law at 73, with each county being apportioned a number of seats based on its percentage of the national population. House members represent single-member districts within the counties drawn up by the National Elections Commission and serve six-year terms. The House meets at the Capitol Building in Monrovia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senate of Liberia</span> Upper house of Liberian legislature

The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislative branch of Liberia, and together with the House of Representatives comprises the Legislature of Liberia. Each of the fifteen counties are equally represented by two senators, elected to serve staggered nine-year terms. The Senate meets at the Capitol Building in Monrovia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament of Albania</span> Unicameral legislature and representative body of Albania

The Parliament of Albania or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to a four-year term on the basis of direct, universal, periodic and equal suffrage by secret ballot. The Parliament is presided over by the Speaker, who is assisted by at least one deputy speaker. The electoral system is based on party-list proportional representation. There are 12 multi-seat constituencies, corresponding to the country's counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Liberia</span> Supreme law of the Republic of Liberia

The Constitution of Liberia is the supreme law of the Republic of Liberia. The current constitution, which came into force on 6 January 1986, replaced the Liberian Constitution of 1847, which had been in force since the independence of Liberia. Much like the 1847 Constitution, the Constitution creates a system of government heavily modeled on the Federal Government of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Liberian constitutional referendum</span>

A referendum to amend the Constitution of Liberia was held on 23 August 2011. Voters chose whether to ratify four amendments regarding judge tenure, elections scheduling, presidential candidate requirements and the electoral system. The National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC) oversaw the referendum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1935 Liberian constitutional referendum</span>

A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 7 May 1935, alongside general elections. The changes to the constitution ensured that President Edwin Barclay remained in office without the need for the presidential elections due that year. Although it was claimed to be for economic reasons, the government feared that an election may lead to instability that would lower confidence of foreign powers and creditors. The next elections took place in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1946 Liberian constitutional referendum</span> Referendum granting female suffrage

A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 7 May 1946. The change to the constitution was approved in the Legislature in December 1945, and would grant women the right to vote. It was approved by voters and came into force on 10 December 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1949 Liberian constitutional referendum</span> Referendum abolishing the two-term limit on presidents

A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 3 May 1949. The changes to the 1847 constitution were approved in the Legislature in 1948, and abolished the two-term limit on presidents. The change was approved by voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1943 Liberian constitutional referendum</span> Referendum requiring birth citizenship or 25-year residence for the president

A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 4 May 1943, alongside general elections. The changes to the constitution required the president to be a Liberian citizen by birth or to have lived in Liberia for at least 25 years, as well as allowing constitutional referendums to be held separately from general elections. The changes were approved by voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Liberian constitutional referendum</span>

A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 3 May 1955. The changes to the constitution would grant women in the Provinces the right to vote, grant all women the right to be elected to Parliament, and remove the section detailing that the Chief Justice would oversee any impeachment of the President or Vice-President. The changes were approved by voters.

The amendments of 2020, which were proposed in January 2020, are the second substantial amendments to the Constitution of Russia of 1993. To introduce these amendments, Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, held a national vote. They were approved on 1 July by a popular vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Liberian constitutional referendum</span>

A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 8 December 2020 alongside Senate elections and two by-elections to the House of Representatives. It had been planned for 13 October, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters were asked whether they approved of eight amendments to the constitution, voting separately on each one. Although a majority of valid votes were in favour for each proposal, the two-thirds quorum was not met for any proposal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural-born-citizen clause</span> Natural born citizen clause for executive office

A natural-born-citizen clause, if present in the constitution of a country, requires that its president or vice president be a natural born citizen. The constitutions of a number of countries contain such a clause, but there is no universally accepted meaning for the term.

References