Montserrado County District #11 Representative, Richard Nagbe Koon, has been officially elected as the new Speaker of the 55th Legislature.
His election took place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in the chambers of the House of Representatives where he obtained the support of 40 of his colleagues, beating his competitor, Musa Hassan Bility, who got 26 votes—resulting in a comfortable margin of 17 votes.
This development follows the resignation of the previous Speaker, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, which came amid ongoing political tensions that had recently paralyzed the country’s legislative economic processes.
His exit comes barely seven months of a political impasse between self-styled majority bloc headed by now Speaker Koon and the minority bloc led by then Speaker, Koffa, a process that held the country hostage, prompting a nationwide call for legislative stability.
In his remarks, the newly elected 55th Speaker of the Liberian Legislature, expressed gratitude to his colleagues for their support while indicating, he would deliver his full Victory speech during the next session.
Following his swearing-in, Koon made several key appointments to various committees, signaling his intent to organize and stabilize the legislative body.
It is hoped that the leadership change at the House of Representatives, which is critical in any democratic process, would restore legislative functions and address the several months of political impasse months on capitol hill.
