The Lawyers’ Society has raised concerns over Parliament’s reported passage of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025, alleging that the Bill was approved without the constitutionally required two-thirds majority.
In a press release dated 10 August 2026, the Society said Section 108(2)(b) of the 1991 Constitution requires constitutional amendments to receive the votes of at least two-thirds of the total membership of Parliament.
The Lawyers’ Society stressed that Parliament, including the Speaker, is constitutionally bound to follow the procedures established for amending the country’s supreme law.
The Society’s concerns centre on the distinction between a two-thirds majority of the total membership of Parliament and a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. It argued that where the Constitution specifically requires two-thirds of the total membership, a lower threshold would not satisfy the constitutional requirement.
The Society also referenced the Speaker’s previous ruling during proceedings concerning the removal of Auditor-General Lara Taylor-Pearce, in which it said he distinguished between “two-thirds of Parliament” and “two-thirds in Parliament.”
According to the Society, the Speaker’s earlier interpretation recognised that “two-thirds of Parliament” refers to the constitutionally prescribed threshold based on the total membership, while “two-thirds in Parliament” relates to members present or participating in a vote.
The Lawyers’ Society said it was therefore “troubling” that the Speaker appeared to have departed from that position when Parliament considered the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
It warned that allowing a constitutional amendment to pass without the required majority could set what it described as a “dangerous precedent,” potentially allowing Parliament to amend the Constitution through a procedure that the Constitution itself does not permit.
The Society called on the President, Speaker, Members of Parliament, the legal profession, civil society and the people of Sierra Leone to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and ensure that constitutional changes are pursued strictly through constitutional means.
“The supremacy of the Constitution must be respected in both words and deeds,” the Society said.
The statement comes amid heightened political and legal debate over the passage of the Constitutional Amendment Bill and the constitutional voting threshold applied during its consideration in Parliament.
