Liberia President Boakai recognizes Koon as House Speaker

The dispute in Liberia's divided House of Representatives over the speakership took a dramatic turn on Monday. President Joseph Boakai invited embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa to a meeting and asked him to resign as Speaker. The president told the justice minister to recognize the majority bloc and their new speaker, Richard Koon. The Liberia FrontPage Africa publication reports that the Senate also recognized Koon as the new speaker. Representative J. Marvin Cole, chair of the committee on rules, order, and administration and a member of the minority bloc that supports the embattled Speaker Koffa, tells VOA’s James Butty, Koffa is still the Speaker in line with the constitution.