By: Sulaiman Stom Koroma.
On the 23rd of June 2024, President Bio won re-election in what was considered one of the most tense presidential elections in the country’s history. The June 24 vote was the fifth since the end of Sierra Leone’s civil war in 2002. The Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohamed Konneh announced that President Bio was re-elected with 56.17 per cent votes and his rival Samura Kamara whom President Bio had defeated in the 2018 election, got 41.16 per cent. Samura Kamara said that he and the APC party “categorically” rejected the results. “My compatriots. We have heard the unfortunate announcement of the election results for the June 24 Presidential elections by the Chief Electoral Commissioner Mr Konneh. It is a sad day for our beloved country. It is a frontal attack on our fledgling democracy. These results are NOT credible and I categorically reject the outcome so announced by the electoral commission”.
Because of this, the APC party called for a rerun of presidential and parliamentary elections which they say should be done within six months, demanded the resignation of all the election commission officials, and said it would ask for the imposition of travel bans on President Bio, his wife, and some ministers and senior officials of government. To address the crisis and pave the way for stability, a tripartite committee was established to propose electoral reforms. In October last year, a deal was brokered by ECOWAS, AU, and Commonwealth representatives, which saw the opposition cancel its boycott of participating in governance stands, while a committee with a three-way leadership structure was set to review the election and suggest recommendations. The new committee has six months to deliver its findings and recommendations.
The committee agreed to widen its scope and look at other elections before this. However, six months have passed since its formation, and citizens are eagerly awaiting the recommendations that are hoped to resolve the election issues in the country, but with both sides standing firm on their demands, the nation waits for the committee’s report, the future of Sierra Leone’s democracy hangs in the balance, with hopes that the proposed reforms will bring about much-needed change and ensure free and fair elections in the country. After 6 months of ups and downs, going out and coming in, the draft report is finally out “ The tripartite committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies Review has done 6 months of great national service. As chief Negotiator, I received draft findings and recommendations today. We will quickly review for final submission to President Bio” Chief Minister. It is clear that the short and medium-term peace of the country hugely lies in this report, as supporters of both parties will interpret the findings in their way and may demand an action accordingly.