By John Ikani
The ECOWAS Observation Mission monitoring the general elections in Sierra Leone has urged the public to remain patient as they anxiously await the results of the polls held on Saturday, June 24, 2023.
Dr. Mohamed Chambas, the Head of the ECOWAS Mission made the call during a convened meeting with counterparts from other International Observation Missions, such as the African Union, the Commonwealth, EU, the West Africa Elders’ Forum, and the Carter Foundation.
The purpose was to compare notes on reports and information gathered by their field observers.
Dr. Chambas commended the citizens of Sierra Leone for their high voter turnout and praised their disciplined conduct throughout the electoral process.
He emphasized the importance of patience among all stakeholders in the post-election period, particularly political parties, candidates, and supporters.
The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone was also urged to demonstrate responsibility by expediting the tabulation process and promptly releasing preliminary results in a professional manner.
To ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process, the ECOWAS Mission deployed 95 observers to oversee the presidential, parliamentary, mayoral, and local council elections.
The Mission had conducted multiple consultations with key political stakeholders before the elections, emphasizing the need to uphold a peaceful and credible process, build on post-conflict governance achievements in the country, and deepen democracy within the ECOWAS region.
Ballot sorting and counting commenced at 5:00 PM on Saturday across the country’s 11,832 polling stations.
However, due to delays caused by the late arrival of polling officials or materials, voting extended into the night in some polling stations as per the Electoral Commission’s instructions.
Although there were initial frustrations expressed by some voters due to the slow process, the situation improved throughout the day.
The ECSL ensured that every voter who was in the queue by 5:00 PM was allowed to cast their ballot.
Consequently, sorting and counting continued into the early hours of Sunday in some polling stations.
During the elections, which took place at 3,630 polling centres, 3,374,258 registered voters out of an estimated population of 8.7 million participated in choosing a new president, 135 parliamentarians, and 493 mayors and local councillors.
Incumbent President Julius Maada Bio, aged 59, from the ruling SLPP party, is seeking a second term.
He faces competition from 12 other candidates, including Samura Kamara, aged 72, representing the main opposition APC, who was defeated by Bio in the 2018 election.
Results of the Saturday polls are expected to be announced within 48 hours.
If no candidate secures the mandatory 55% of valid votes in the first round, the two leading candidates will proceed to a run-off election two weeks after the official announcement of the first-round results.
