Sierra Leone’s Bio wins second term

Julius Maada Bio has been re-elected as president of Sierra Leone, according to the electoral commission. Bio, 59, won 56.17% of the vote, while his challenger, Samura Kamara, received 41.16%.

“By the powers invested in me … I hereby certify that Bio Julius Maada … [is] duly elected president,” Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohammed Konneh said on Tuesday.

Winning candidates are required to get 55 percent of votes, and Bio narrowly avoided a second round.

Kamara swiftly rejected the results alleging irregularities. The 72-year-old said that he “categorically” rejected the results. “It is a sad day for our beloved country. It is a frontal attack on our fledgling democracy,” he tweeted.

“These results are NOT credible and I categorically reject the outcome so announced by the electoral commission,” he wrote.

The electoral commission's announcement of Bio's victory came after both parties claimed they have won.

Kamara alleged that security forces had opened fire on his party's headquarters, but police denied this. His party, the APC had already disputed the vote tallying, alleging a lack of inclusiveness, transparency, and responsibility by the election commission.

They pointed to the lack of information about which polling stations or districts the ballots were coming from.

The APC said it “will not accept these fake and cooked up results”.

In a follow-up statement, they alleged “over-voting” in some areas and said the party “continues to reject” the “fabricated results” and “reaffirms our victory”.

During a news conference on Monday, European Union observers expressed their concerns about the lack of transparency and communication from the electoral authority, which has led to mistrust in the electoral process

The monitors reported witnessing incidents of violence at seven polling stations during voting hours and at three others during the closing and counting stages.

There were apprehensions that further unrest could occur as the results were announced, especially if none of the 13 candidates managed to secure an outright victory

The United States also voiced its concerns about the lack of transparency in the counting process.

According to Konneh, any citizen who lawfully voted is allowed to submit challenges to the Supreme Court within seven days of the election results being declared.

In response to the provisional results released on Monday, Bio, the incumbent, addressed the nation and urged citizens to maintain peace.

The June 24 election marked the fifth since the end of Sierra Leone's civil war in 2002. However, it took place against a backdrop of high unemployment, inflation, and heightened violent rhetoric.

Bio, a former coup leader in the 1990s prioritized education and women's rights during his first term. However, his administration faced growing frustration due to economic hardships.

Rising prices triggered unusually violent protests last year.

The World Bank has reported that Sierra Leone's economic downturn has hindered hopes of recovery, with widespread underemployment and over half of the population living in poverty.

Bio has faced mounting criticism due to the debilitating economic conditions, which Kamara, his opponent, pledged to address.

With nearly 60 percent of the population facing poverty and high youth unemployment rates, Sierra Leone continues to grapple with significant challenges.

AEP

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Sierra Leoneans await results following poll fraught with delays

Polls closed at 5pm yesterday across Sierra Leone in a voting process fraught with delays in many parts of the West African country.

Long queues were reported in several parts of the country after 5 pm due to delays on the part of the electoral management body.

12 candidates including 2018 frontrunner, Samura Kamara are aiming to defeat incumbent, President Julius Bio, to lead the country for the next five years.

Voting began at 7am according to the Sierra Leone Electoral Commission.

Hours before the official start time, local media reported long queues were formed at dozens of polling station.

New Sierra Leone, a coalition of civil society organisations monitoring the elections claimed that only 72% of polling stations closed on the official time.

Sorting and counting of votes began in many parts of the country where polls closed.

The EC announced on Sunday morning that tallying of votes had begun as the electoral process continues to determine the winner of the 2023 election.

Meanwhile, the opposition All People’s Congress released a statement thanking the international community for their steadfastness in ensuring a free, fair and credible elections.

This is the fifth election since the Sierra Leone civil war ended in 2002.

 

3.3 million vote as polls open in Sierra Leone

 

Source: Wademos Twitter

Over 3 million Sierra Leoneans are voting today to elect a new president for the next 5 years.

This is the West African country’s fifth election since the civil war ended in 2002.

Incumbent President, Julius Maada Bio is hoping to lead the country for another 5 years while his 2018 contender and leader of the opposition, Samura Kamara promising to unify the country and rebuild the economy.

Voting was expected to commence at 7am across the country but European union observers acknowledged delays at several polling stations.

Reporters of the local AYV News also reported several instances of delay across the country, substantiating the claims of the EU observers.

Aside the president, voters are also voting to choose MPs and councilors in all 16 electoral districts.

The two leading candidates, Bio and Kamara preciously faced off in 2018 where the latter who was handpicked by then president, Bai Koroma, lost to Bio who was the leader of the opposition in a runoff.

In all, 12 candidates are contesting to defeat the incumbent including one Iye Kakay who is the only woman in the race.

According to the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, polls will close at 5pm local time.

#SierraLeoneDecides - The Apps and Software supporting the election

 

Since the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone in 2002, the country has held five presidential elections and all of these elections have consistently been declared free, fair and peaceful. However, it has not always been plain-sailing as the process sometimes experiences some setbacks in ensuring a completely safe and just expression of democracy.

The government, Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) and other involved organizations often implement physical and practical structures such as extra security and campaigns. But, with the growth of technology these organization have utilized some tools to offset any issues identified in previous elections to ensure a credible 2023 election.   

Misinformation and Fake News

The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) has been steadfastly working to ensure the spread of misinformation is restricted and that citizens are well informed. They do this by firstly, providing varying means for citizens to contact them through their website (including leaving a voice-message on the website through a voice option). 

There is also a link to iVerify, a fact checking initiative implemented by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and the Independent Radio Network with support from BBC Media Action and United Nations Development Programme. 

The ECSL website uses AI and human intervention to verify and provide a verdict on whether rumors/news that is being shared is either true, false, unproven or misleading. A quick scan through the website reveals the user-friendly and simple structure making it easy for people to use and understand.

Gender Based Violence

In May 2023 the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs (MGCA) launched a Gender Based ViolenceInformation Management System to respond to increased risks against women and girls in this month’s election. The cloud software will assist Gender Based Violence service providers to securely receive, organize and share case information through a systemically monitored electronic process. The software will also help service providers send electronic referrals and remotely supervise each other. 7 laptops, 20 computers and 16 motorbikes have also been donated by the UNICEF Representative to the MGCA to undertake this activity.

Access to Information

It can be difficult to access the right information about the elections given the deluge of information on the internet and that which includes propaganda spread by political parties. Therefore, the Institute for Governance Reform has launched an app which focusses on ensuring people are well-informed for the upcoming elections. The app features a ‘Bio-Meter’, which has assessed 496 out of the 536 previous campaign promises of President Bio (current leader of Sierra Leone). The app sources information from the Electoral Commission and other formal election institutions to provide details on the political parties and citizen manifestos, electoral system and new proportional representation system. It also explains how citizens can cast votes, the names of districts and the number of polling stations.

After going through the app, AEP can conclude that it is an inspiring initiative which appears to be easy to navigate. It also hosts an election quiz as a fun way to test one’s knowledge and does provide several opportunities to learn about different aspects of the elections. However, it is still a work in progress as some pages such as the ‘Nominated Candidates’ are still labeled “coming soon”.

Only 7 parties out of the 17 currently have some information on the app, and it is very text heavy. Furthermore, the Chat box is not efficient, as it was unable to answer questions about why only 7 parties were described and how one can vote in the upcoming election.

 AEP

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