2023-06-27 19:47:00
Outgoing President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected in the first round for a second term as head of Sierra Leone, but his victory is contested by his main opponent.
The outgoing president, Julius Maada Bio, was re-elected in the first round for a second term as head of Sierra Leone, with 56.17% of the vote, according to official figures published on Tuesday, June 27. His opponent, Samura Kamara, who came in second with 41.16% of the vote, immediately declared that he “categorically rejected” the results of the electoral commission which he did not consider “credible”.
“I will rise above this travesty and I pledge to continue the fight for a better Sierra Leone,” he added, without specifying what he intended to do following the announcement of the victory of his rival. The country, which experienced a civil war from 1991 to 2002, went through a turbulent electoral process where multiple incidents were reported. Observers fear post-election violence, but the results came on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, one of the biggest in the entire West African region, which traditionally slows down activities.
As soon as the results were announced, supporters of the president, dressed in green, the color of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), celebrated their champion by honking their horns and banging on pots in downtown Freetown. Others blew vuvuzelas and sang “Maada Bio, Maada Bio.” “I’m happy Bio won, we want him to stabilize the economy and create jobs,” said SLPP activist Susan Myers, 34.
Lack of transparency
“He is doing great things for this country. He fights corruption,” rejoiced Musa Tholluy, 27, in a big parade towards Parliament. In a speech shortly following the results, Julius Maada Bio insisted on the economic stakes and the development of infrastructures, in one of the least developed countries in the world. He also called on all Sierra Leoneans to come together for “progress” and the “prosperity” of his country.
The day before, partial results giving the incumbent president more than 55% of the vote, synonymous with victory in the first round, had been rejected by the opposition, which castigated the lack of inclusiveness, transparency and accountability of the electoral commission. . The vote, which was held on Saturday, took place generally calmly, despite a few incidents. The participation rate is 83% according to the electoral commission. Sierra Leoneans also voted on Saturday to elect their parliament and local councils, polls whose results have not yet been released.
European Union observers felt that the lack of transparency and communication from the electoral authority had created mistrust in the electoral process. On Sunday evening, a woman was killed at the opposition headquarters as security forces sought to disperse the gathered crowd.
Revenge
Some 3.4 million people were called upon to choose between 13 presidential candidates, a 2018 revenge-like ballot between Mr. Bio, a 59-year-old retired soldier who was seeking a second term, and Mr. Kamura, 72-year-old technocrat. In 2018, Julius Maada Bio, candidate of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), won in the second round with 51.8% of the vote.
During his first term, Julius Maada Bio championed education and women’s rights. He said he wanted to prioritize agriculture and reduce his country’s dependence on food imports. In an address to the nation following the first partial results, the incumbent president called on Sierra Leoneans to remain calm and obey the law.
Samura Kamara, Minister of Finance then Foreign Affairs before the advent of Julius Maada Bio in 2018, had indicated that he wanted to restore confidence in national economic institutions and attract foreign investors.
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