Dialogue ends with APC and SLPP signing a communique

October 19, 2023 Publisher and Chief Executive Officer KABS KANU ACTION NEWS, COMMENTARY 0

Today, the Government of Sierra Leone and the All People’s Congress ended a three-day dialogue facilitated by the AU, ECOWAS, Commonwealth and ICPNC.

Among the several resolutions, the Parties agreed: the President will make a national address on dialogue, unity, cohesion and peace; the All People’s Congress will end its non-participation in governance; a cross-party committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies Review with a three-way leadership; Government to consider the release of persons arrested, detained and/or imprisoned for alleged elections and civil protest informed by a list to be submitted by the APC and other Political Parties; Government to consider the discontinuation of any politically motivated court cases against the APC, other parties and their supporters based on a list to be submitted by the APC and other parties; and upon assumption of their elective governance positions, all elected APC officials (Members of Parliament, Mayors, Chairpersons, Councillors) will have the issue regarding their entitlements addressed accordingly by the appropriate institutions.

The signing of the Agreement by the Government of Sierra Leone and the All People’s Congress has embodied His Excellency President Bio’s clarion call to find common ground within our political divides. Thank you Dr. David M. Sengeh and Dr. Samura W. Kamara for the exemplary leadership. To members of both delegations, may the jokes and fun we shared ignite a new friendship of trust and love.

Like His Excellency the President said at the State Opening of Parliament in August: “Through unity, we can achieve stability, progress and prosperity in our democracy”.

Special thanks to the Chief Facilitator, H.E Madam Fatoumata Jallow, Former Vice President of the Republic of the Gambia.

Sierra Leone wins!

MEDIATED DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AND THE ALL PEOPLES CONGRESS PARTY – 16-18 OCTOBER 2023

AN AGREEMENT FOR NATIONAL UNITY

PREAMBLE

  1. WELCOMING THE THREE-DAY MEDIATED DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AND THE ALL PEOPLES CONGRESS PARTY (APC) (HEREIN AFTER REFERRED TO AS THE PARTIES), TO ADDRESS THE POLITICAL IMPASSE POST THE JUNE 24TH 2023 MULTI-TIER ELECTIONS;
  2. THANKING THE MEDIATORS OF THE DIALOGUE – AFRICAN UNION, ECOWAS, THE COMMONWEALTH, AND THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION FOR PEACE AND NATIONAL COHESION FOR THEIR EFFORT TO BRING THE PARTIES TOGETHER.
  3. NOTING THAT THE LAWS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE, ESPECIALLY THE CONSTITUTION OF SIERRA LEONE (ACT 6 1991) ARE SACROSANCT.
  4. GIVEN THAT THE PARTIES TO THE MEDIATED DIALOGUE – NOTE RECORDS OF CASES FILED IN THE SUPREME COURT AGAINST THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION FOR SIERRA LEONE, ECSL;
  5. NOTING THAT THE ALL PEOPLES CONGRESS HAS CONTINUED TO ASK THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF SIERRA LEONE FOR THE RELEASE OF THE “SUMMARY OF ALL STATEMENTS OF THE RESULTS FROM THE POLLING STATIONS” (SECTION 92, PUBLIC ELECTIONS ACT 2022) FOR THE 24TH JUNE 2023 MULTI-TIER ELECTIONS;
  6. NOTING FURTHER THAT THE ALL PEOPLES CONGRESS CONTINUES TO DEMAND FOR THE IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF THE CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER AND ALL REGIONAL COMMISSIONERS OF ECSL;
  7. THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE NOTES THE PROVISIONS IN SECTION 32 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF SIERRA LEONE (AS AMENDED);
  8. THE APC PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES THE RELEVANCE OF SECTION 2(1) OF THE RIGHT TO ACCESS INFORMATION ACT 2013;
  9. NOTING THAT NO INDIVIDUAL OR CANDIDATE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE JUNE 24, 2023 ELECTIONS CHALLENGED THE GAZETTED RESULTS (20TH JULY 2023) IN COURT;

RESOLUTIONS

THE PARTIES RESOLVED THE FOLLOWING:

  1. HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT TO MAKE A NATIONAL ADDRESS ON DIALOGUE, UNITY, COHESION, AND PEACE
  2. THE APC WILL END ITS “NON-PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNANCE”
  3. HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT IN CONSULTATION WITH THE APC, WILL CONSTITUTE A CROSS PARTY COMMITTEE ON ELECTORAL SYSTEMS AND MANAGEMENT BODIES REVIEW WITH A THREE-WAY LEADERSHIP NOMINATED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE, THE APC, AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS. THIS BODY WILL EXAMINE THE ELECTORAL SYSTEMS, STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES OF THE 2023 MULTI-TIER ELECTORAL CYCLE. THE COMMITTEE WILL ALSO BE INFORMED BY PREVIOUS ELECTIONS WITH A VIEW TO HIGHLIGHTING AND ADDRESSING THE CONTINUOUS ISSUES OF ELECTIONS AND RESULTS MANAGEMENT INCLUDING THE COLLATION, VERIFICATION, AUTHENTICATION AND PUBLISHING OF ELECTORAL DATA CONSISTENT WITH INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICE TO ENHANCE THE CREDIBILITY OF ALL FUTURE ELECTIONS IN SIERRA LEONE THAT GUARANTEES ELECTIONS TO BE FREE, FAIR AND CREDIBLE.
  4. THE TERMS OF REFERENCE WILL BE DEVELOPED UNDER THE JOINT LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS.
  5. THE DURATION OF THE COMMITTEE WILL BE 6 MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF ESTABLISHMENT.
  6. THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE SHALL BE ACTIONABLE AND IMPLEMENTABLE.
  7. THE COMMITTEE WILL BE GENDER-BALALNCED

THE PARTIES TO THE DIALOGUE AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING:

  • RELEASE OF ANY PERSONS ARRESTED, DETAINED AND OR IMPRISONED FOR ALLEGED ELECTIONS AND CIVIL PROTEST (INFORMED BY A LIST TO BE SUBMITTED BY THE APC AND OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES, AND CONSIDERED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE).
  • THE DISCONTINUATION OF ANY POLITICALLY MOTIVATED COURT CASES AGAINST THE APC, OTHER PARTIES AND THEIR SUPPORTERS (BASED ON A LIST TO BE SUBMITTED BY THE APC AND OTHER PARTIES AND CONSIDERED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE).
  • SUPPORT THE RESETTLEMENT OF ANY POLITICAL PARTY SUPPORTERS INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY DISPLACED DUE TO POLITICAL INTIMIDATION, ATTACKS, AND HARASSMENT (INFORMED BY A LIST TO BE SUBMITTED BY THE APC AND OTHER PARTIES AND CONSIDERED BY THE GOVERNMENT) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
  • THAT UPON ASSUMPTION OF THEIR ELECTIVE GOVERNANCE POSITIONS, ALL ELECTED APC OFFICIALS (MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, MAYORS, CHAIRPERSONS, COUNCILLORS) WILL HAVE THE ISSUE REGARDING THEIR ENTITLEMENTS ADDRESSED ACCORDINGLY BY THE APPROPRIATE INSTITUTIONS.
  • PARLIAMENT TO ADDRESS ANY ISSUES AS IT RELATES TO THE LEADERSHIP, COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEES AND REPRESENTATION IN INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTS ON BEHALF OF APC (THE COMPOSITION OF COMMITTEES AND INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTS MUST REFLECT APC’S SHARE OF SEATS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONSTITUTION OF SIERRA LEONE).
  • BOTH PARTIES AGREE TO THE INSTITUTIONALISATION OF AN INTER-PARTY DIALOGUE FRAMEWORK BETWEEN THE APC, SLPP, AND OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES. THIS WILL BE FACILITATED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
  • BOTH PARTIES COMMIT TO RE-ENGINEER AND REKINDLE THE RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE NATIONAL SOCIO-POLITICAL ECO-SYSTEM SUCH AS BETWEEN HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT AND FORMER POLITICAL LEADERS (FORMER PRESIDENTS AND VICE PRESIDENTS), THE APC AND SLPP LEADERSHIP, ETC.
  • THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AND THE APC PARTY STRICTLY CONDEMN ALL CITIZENS AT HOME AND ABROAD WHO INCITE VIOLENCE, SPREAD HATE SPEECH AND DISRUPT NATIONAL COHESION (ONLINE AND OFFLINE) AND GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE ALL EFFORTS TO BRING THOSE INVOLVED TO JUSTICE.
  • THERE SHALL BE ACTIONS AND COMMITMENTS BY THE PARTIES TO IMPLEMENT THE AGREEMENTS REACHED DURING THIS MEDIATED DIALOGUE.

TO THIS END, THE GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AND THE APC PARTY COMMIT TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT COMMITTEE OF ‘MORAL GUARANTORS’ WHOSE MEMBERSHIP SHALL BE AGREED BY THE PARTIES TO SUPPORT AND MONITOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS AGREEMENT.

SIGNED: GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE AND THE ALL PEOPLES CONGRESS PARTY.  

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