By Sallieu S. Kanu
Sierra Leone – August 10, 2026: – Members of Parliament from the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) on Monday staged a dramatic walkout following a ruling by the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Solomon Thomas, on the voting procedure for the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
The Speaker ruled that decisions at the current stage of consideration of the Constitutional Amendment Bill should be determined by a simple majority vote, citing Section 91(1) of the 1991 Constitution. He argued that the proceedings before Parliament do not, in themselves, alter the Constitution, and therefore the two-thirds majority requirement under Section 108(b) does not apply at this stage.
Opposition Reaction
The ruling was immediately rejected by APC MPs, who insisted that constitutional amendments require strict adherence to the two-thirds majority threshold.
Opposition Leader Hon. Abdul Kargbo declared: “We cannot sit here and see 96 MPs decide on the Constitution of Sierra Leone. We are walking out and leaving you to decide.” He cited Section 108(b), which provides that a Bill seeking to alter the Constitution shall not be passed unless, on its second and third readings, it is supported by not less than two-thirds of all Members of Parliament.
Following his statement, APC MPs rose and exited the Chamber in protest, refusing to participate further in the proceedings.
Counterarguments
Ruling party MPs, including Hon. Gevao of the SLPP, countered that Section 108(b) does not apply to clause-by-clause votes currently before the House. He maintained that the two-thirds requirement applies only to the final passage of the Bill, not to preliminary decisions.
Broader Context
The walkout comes amid heightened debate over proposed constitutional reforms, including provisions relating to the appointment of members of the Electoral Commission and other governance changes.
The disagreement has raised broader questions about the interpretation of constitutional voting thresholds during different stages of the amendment process. While the APC insists that the two-thirds requirement must guide all decisions on the Bill, the Speaker’s ruling holds that only the final passage of the amendment requires that threshold.
The matter is expected to remain a major point of contention as Parliament continues deliberations on the Constitutional Amendment Bill.