By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Political Parties Regulatory Commission, a state body in Sierra Leone on Monday announced an immediate ban on street political parades, a tradition during election campaigns in the West African country.
The body said “election periods are not a time for dancing and joy”, but rather “a time for deep reflection”.
This comes less than three months before the presidential elections in the West African country.
During campaigns, the country’s two main parties – the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC) usually hold parades across the cities amidst excitement.
With the ban, political parties are expected to designate a fixed location — stadium, community center, etc. to hold their campaign rallies.
“Playing on the credulity of our people, politicians have for years used these street circuses to cloud the thinking of the electorate, especially young people, by using drugs and other intoxicants,” says the commission.
According to Lucien Momoh, spokesperson for the commission, the ban could “reduce violence to a minimum”.
“Year after year in Sierra Leone, campaign street parades have become an increasingly serious threat to the safety of ordinary people,” he told AFP. “These rallies were marred by violence and insults and threats towards political opponents”.
Presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections in the country of about 8 million population size will take place on June 24.
The incumbent President Julius Maada Bio will run for a second term there.
His main challenger, APC leader Samura Kamara, is currently on trial for corruption. If convicted, he cannot stand for election or hold office in the state.
