Law library · Sierra Leone · The Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991
Section 108: Constitution.
In force, as amendedThe Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991, Sierra Leone
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, Parliament may alter this Constitution.
(2) A Bill for an Act of Parliament under this section shall not be passed by Parliament unless—
a. before the first reading of the Bill in Parliament the text of the Bill is published in at least two issues of the
Gazette:
Provided that not less than nine days shall elapse between the first publication of the Bill in the Gazette and the
second publication; and
b. the Bill is supported on the second and third readings by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the
Members of Parliament.
(3) A Bill for an Act of Parliament enacting a new Constitution or altering any of the following provisions of this
Constitution, that is to say—
a. this section
b. Chapter III,
c. sections 46, 56, 72, 73, 74(2), 74(3), 84(2), 85, 87, 105, 110-119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 128, 129, 131,
132, 133, 135, 136, 137, 140, 151, 156, 167,
shall not be submitted to the President for his assent and shall not become law unless the Bill, after it has been passed
by Parliament and in the form in which it was so passed, has, in accordance with the provisions of any law in that
behalf, been submitted to and been approved at a referendum.
(4) Every person who is entitled to vote in the elections of Members of Parliament shall be entitled to vote at a
referendum held for the purposes of subsection (3) and no other person may so vote; and the Bill shall not be
regarded as having been approved at the referendum unless it was so approved by the votes of not less than one-half
of all such persons and by not less than two-thirds of all the votes validly cast at the referendum:
Provided that in calculating the total number of persons entitled to vote at such referendum, the names of deceased
persons, of persons disqualified as electors, and of persons duplicated in the register of electors and so certified by
the Electoral Commission, shall not be taken into account.
(5) The conduct of any referendum for the purposes of subsection (3) of this section shall be under the general
supervision of the Electoral Commission and the provisions of subsections (4), (5) and (6) of section 38 of this
Constitution shall apply in relation to the exercise by the Electoral Commission of its functions with respect to a
referendum as they apply in relation to the exercise of its functions with respect to elections of Members of
(6) A Bill for an Act of Parliament under this section shall not be submitted to the President for his signature unless it
is accompanied by a certificate under the hand of the Speaker of Parliament (or, if the Speaker is for any reason
unable to exercise the functions of his office, the Deputy Speaker) that the provisions of subsections (3) and (4) of
this section have been complied with, and every such certificate shall be conclusive for all purposes and shall not be
inquired in any court.
(7) No Act of Parliament shall be deemed to amend, add to or repeal or in any way alter any of the provisions of this
Constitution unless it does so in express terms.
(8) Any suspension, alteration, or repeal of this Constitution other than on the authority of Parliament shall be
deemed to be an act of Treason.
(9) In this section—
a. references to this Constitution include references to any law that amends or replaces any of the provisions of
this Constitution; and
b. references to the alteration of this Constitution or of any Chapter or section of this Constitution include
references to the amendment, modification or re-enactment, with or without amendment or modification, of
any provision for the time being contained in this Constitution or Chapter or section thereof, the suspension
or repeal of any such provision, the making of different provision in lieu of such provision and the addition
of new provisions to this Constitution or Chapter or section thereof, and references to the alteration of any
particular provision of this Constitution shall be construed likewise.
Residual authority of
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