Peaceful, credible elections in Sierra Leone
The presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone held on March 7, 2018 have been adjudged to be credible and peaceful by a cross-section of international observers. The presidential election which did not produce a winner in the first round has proved that the West African country that recently history emerged from acrimony and bloodshed […]
The presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone held on March 7, 2018 have been adjudged to be credible and peaceful by a cross-section of international observers. The presidential election which did not produce a winner in the first round has proved that the West African country that recently history emerged from acrimony and bloodshed in a reckless warfare has begun to imbibe the essential principles of democracy.
The election was keenly contested by Samura Kamara, a former foreign minister under the banner of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC), and Julius Maada Bio, a former military head of state who contested on the ticket of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP). In the first round of the election, Maada Bio polled 1.1 million votes, representing 43 per cent of the total votes, while Kamara had 42.7 per cent of the votes in which 16 Sierra Leoneans contested for the presidency.
In Sierra Leone, a presidential candidate must win at least 55 per cent of the total votes before he could be declared elected as the country’s leader. A run-off has, therefore, been slated for March 27, 2018. The National Electoral Commission chair Mohammed Nfa’ali Conteh, after declaring the results of the first round of the presidential election, said “There will be second election, run-off, exclusively between the All People’s Congress presidential candidate Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara, and the Sierra Leone People’s Party presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio.”
After the first round, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) in Sierra Leone, led by Ms Jean Lambert, remarked that the Sierra Leonean National Election Commission “delivered credible and well-organised electoral process in spite of numerous challenges.” She made the observation while presenting the group’s preliminary report on the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Councils elections to the media in Freetown.
Also, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), led by former President Goodluck Jonathan, declared that the first round of the election was highly commendable. The body’s report said: “The EISA Election Observation Mission commends the people of Sierra Leone for turning out in large numbers to register their will on March 7, 2018. In the absence of an incumbent in the presidential race, the presidential election seems to be one of the most keenly contested in the post-civil war period.
“The EISA EOM notes the efforts of the different institutions to guarantee the integrity of the elections. On Election Day, voter turnout was impressive and the conduct of polling personnel was professional. There were technical glitches that necessitated the postponement of elections in 18 polling stations. Election Day proceeded in a largely peaceful manner albeit with isolated incidents that were immediately addressed… The [elections] were “conducted substantially in line with sub-regional, continental and international standards.”
It is noteworthy that after the presidential elections results were declared, all candidates maintained their peace. There has not been any form of rancour, neither has then been and allegations and counter-allegations of violence. There were no reports of violence, or the threats of violence against the supporters of any of the presidential candidates. This election is, therefore, a big relief to Africans and an indication that the peoples of Africa can actually choose their leaders through peaceful elections that respect the will of the people.
We call on the political class, the electoral commission and the people of Sierra Leone to maintain this level of credibility and peaceful conduct in the run-off election which comes up in the next two weeks. The international community should also encourage all stakeholders in the country’s elections to ensure that the outcome of the election is credible and would lead to the emergence of the leaders of the people’s choice, who would work for the emancipation of the war-ravaged West African country.