Monrovia, Liberia – More than a week ago, a devastating fire tore through the halls of power in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, when the parliament building caught fire, destroying vital offices and archives.

This incident is the second fire within a week, and came a day after several people were injured when police used tear gas to disperse protesters demanding that the rule of law be followed in the dismissal of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, amid an ongoing legislative impasse. .

While no link has been proven between the protests and the fire, in which no casualties were reported, police have questioned several people, including Parliament Speaker Jonathan Funate Cova.

So what happened in Parliament last week, and how does it relate to the current political tensions in Liberia?

What happened in Parliament?

It was the early morning of December 18 when flames and thick black smoke engulfed the upper parts of the Parliament building, causing extensive damage inside.

Several walls cracked from the intense heat. The offices and common room of the legislature were destroyed. Firefighters used long water hoses and water jets to control the fire and it was brought under control.

During his visit to the site, President Joseph Boakai condemned the country’s “so much wanton destruction” and noted that he believed the fire was politically motivated to divide the country.

The incident came eight days after a previous fire broke out inside the Legislative Complex, which led to one of the complex’s wings being surrounded and did not cause any casualties. Fire services did not reveal what damage had been caused, but advised people to stay away from the area until investigations – which were ongoing before Wednesday’s fire – were completed.

Moreover, a day before the December 18 fire, hundreds protested in the capital, demanding adherence to the rule of law amid a controversial move by lawmakers to impeach Speaker of the House of Representatives Cova – an action that led to a legislative deadlock.

This protest turned into chaos when the police tried to disperse the people. According to police, the use of tear gas was necessary when demonstrators broke barriers leading to designated “non-protest areas.” They added that “only non-lethal force” was used.

Dozens of demonstrators were arrested after last Tuesday’s demonstrations, including Sekou Calasco, an aide to former President George Weah.

Following last week’s fire, authorities have not confirmed the cause, but Police Chief Gragray Coleman did not rule out arson.

Police also detained four people for questioning, including Parliament Speaker Kofa and current lawmaker Frank Sah Foko, who reportedly made threats against the Parliament chambers.

Addressing the legislative impasse, Foucault had earlier stated that “if the legislature cannot prioritize the interest of the Liberian people, it will burn down the session.”

Police Chief Coleman noted last week that “Foucault threatened that he would burn down the common rooms and just one day later they were burned down.” So he needs to explain himself.”

What is the reason for the legislative impasse?

Although the cause of the fire has not been announced, there are concerns in Liberia that it may be linked to the protests and legislative deadlock in the House of Representatives – one of the two bodies that make up Parliament.

The House of Representatives is headed by Speaker, a position currently held by Kofa, a lawyer and member of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the political party of former President Weah. However, opposition lawmakers attempted to remove Kofa from office over allegations that in his previous position as deputy speaker of parliament, he overspent his budget and manipulated the budget to divert millions of dollars to his office. He also faces allegations of conflicts of interest regarding his law firm’s dealings with companies and government agencies.

These allegations and attempts to isolate him caused tension in the country for months. In mid-October, a pro-Kova lawmaker alleged that House lawmakers were offered $15,000 by anti-Kova lawmakers to sign a written resolution calling for his removal.

The opponents, who called themselves the “majority bloc” in Parliament, denied the allegations of financial inducement, claiming that their decision to dismiss the Speaker of Parliament was based on allegations of gross corruption and financial mismanagement. These legislators have a “call.”[ed] They called on the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to immediately open an investigation into Kofa’s financial dealings.

They also boycotted parliament sessions, choosing instead to hold separate sessions, and elected Richard Cohn of the ruling Unity Party, as head of their faction. Both factions claim that their sessions are valid. The government had earlier presented the budget for both sessions but has now acknowledged the legitimacy of the anti-COVA session.

Kova became Speaker of the House of Representatives in January this year when he defeated Kuhn by five votes.

Kofa denied the accusations against him, condemned the anti-Kova bloc, and said that opposition lawmakers should return to session with a complaint against him, indicating that if they did so, he “will step down from the presidency until the matter is resolved.”

Cova also added that “the real issues that lawmakers raised to me personally were not included in the resolution — issues related to the appointment of committees and their interactions, the treatment of lawmakers by some committee chairs —…those are the issues that will resolve this crisis.”

Weah also accused the ruling party of “efforts to undermine democratic and constitutional institutions by using illicit funds from the national treasury to influence the unfair removal of the Speaker of Parliament.” His party, the CDC, suspended 10 of its lawmakers who signed the resolution against Cova.

In the 73-member House of Representatives, the CDC has 25 members, while the Unity Party has 11 members. There are 19 legislators who won as independents. Nine other parties won the remaining 18 seats.

According to Liberian law, the House of Representatives must vote by a two-thirds majority to remove the Speaker, and 37 legislators are required to ensure a quorum. So far, only 45 members have signed the resolution against COVA.

So, while the anti-Kova bloc did not obtain the required number of votes to remove the Speaker of Parliament, their boycott of the sessions resulted in the pro-Kova faction being unable to meet a quorum.

This has led to a deadlock in Parliament, with essential legislative functions halted, and delays in approving important instruments, including the country’s budget.

Experts say the impasse also has other far-reaching consequences. “The legislative impasse has increased Liberians’ distrust of their government,” said Aaron Weah, a researcher and director of the Dokor Institute, a Liberian think tank. “State actors could be used – such as a potential fire incident – when negotiations stall,” he added.

In November, Cova filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court asking that the majority bloc’s actions be declared illegal and that it be forced to return to service.

In its ruling, the court said that members of the majority bloc cannot be forced to return to session because the House of Representatives does not have rules that compel attendance. She added that actions taken in the Legislative Council that do not comply with the law should be considered illegal, but did not specifically identify the faction’s illegal actions.

As a result of the ambiguity, both factions claim that the other’s actions are illegal.

The Government of Liberia interpreted the court ruling to be in favor of the majority bloc.

But Kova told the press that “there is a conscious effort to ignore and defy the Supreme Court ruling,” adding that “absent legislators are getting help and comfort from the executive branch.”

For Gerald Yekola, program officer at the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), a non-profit organization and the Liberia national chapter of Transparency International, “the situation at the Capitol represents an epic political battle in which only the rule of law has intervened.” give up.

“This is demonstrated by the fact that the Supreme Court recently failed to clearly identify the group of lawmakers acting illegally,” he said. “The potential victory of the ‘majority bloc’ reinforces a dangerous precedent that the Speaker of Parliament can be dismissed by his colleagues without any reason as required by the Constitution.”

Kova has now approached the Supreme Court seeking clarification on the interpretation of the ruling.

What’s next?

With Cova refusing to resign as Speaker of Parliament despite pressure, analysts say the saga is far from over, and how it ends will not only set a precedent for how legislative political issues are settled, but could have other implications for democracy.

“How the legislative impasse ends is very important for the country and for our democracy moving forward,” said analyst Weah (no relation to former President Weah). “The legislative impasse is an indication of the kind of democracy Liberia will experience in the coming years. We have a very young population, so if we do not hold our legislatures to rules and procedures, that will determine the way similar matters will be settled.”

In addition, the US Embassy and the regional bloc (ECOWAS) called on security agencies to investigate the cause of the fire.

The Liberian government condemned the fire, and President Boakai called on the Ministry of Justice and security agencies to investigate and promised to deal with the perpetrators. Police have offered a $5,000 reward for more information.

Furthermore, the Liberia National Fire Service said the investigation is ongoing but noted that it suspects the fire was caused by flammable materials such as gasoline, chemicals or grease.

Separately, Richard Cohn, elected spokesman for the anti-COVA faction, said in a social media post on December 20: “This attack on the Capitol cannot and will not go unpunished. It is a call to action for all of us to recommit to the principles of democracy, peace and justice.” Let us honor this painful moment by strengthening our resolve to build a Liberia where such tragedies are unthinkable.