Summary of key findings and observation of 2023 voter irregularities and massive electoral fraud by the Elections Commission of Sierra Leone

*⭕️SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS AND OBSERVATION OF 2023 VOTER IRREGULARITIES AND MASSIVE ELECTORAL FRAUD BY ECSL*

*CREDIT:COUNCIL OF PROGRESSIVES*

*The lack of transparency and secrecy surrounding the tabulation process.from the electoral commissioners has revealed 6 unusual patterns from the 2023 election results as detailed below :*

*📌1. Overvoting – The study revealed instances of over voting during the first batch of election results, where the number of vote casts exceeded the total number of registered voters in certain districts. The commission went ahead and announced the result with clear evidence of over voting without nullifying and/or rerunning the election in the affected districts -polling stations as per section 84 of the Public Election Act, 2022. Out of the 16 districts, 10 of the districts are either over voted or maybe over voted as detailed below. This means, 4 of the districts have strong evidence of over voting, no matter which polling stations are aggregated. 6 of the districts maybe over voted, depending on the polling stations processed in the first batch of election of 60% of polling station per district.*

*📌2. Inconsistencies of Voting Patterns within the Same District: Inconsistencies were identified in the voting patterns within the same district between the first and second batches of results. These disparities have sparked concerns regarding the accuracy and integrity of the electoral process, indicating the possibility of tampering or manipulation. The table provided below 👇🏾 summarizes the turnout rates of the first batch, comprising 60% of the polling stations’ results per district, and the second batch, comprising the remaining 40% of the polling station results.*

*📌3. Irregular pattern of APC Vs SLPP performance between the first and second batches of results: Data evidence indicates a notable shift in voting patterns between the first and second batches of results for the APC and SLPP parties within the same district. Intriguingly, historical data consistently characterizes these districts as either leaning towards or being strongholds of the opposition party, suggesting that any increase or positive swing in performance should have favored the APC party. Our study, however, focused on districts that exhibited at least a 15% swing in party performance between the first and second batches of election results. It is important to note that other districts with swings of less than 15% are not included in the analysis presented*

*📌4. Irregular Turnout between Incumbency Stronghold and Opposition Stronghold: Differences in voter turnout were noted between regions recognized as strongholds for the incumbent party and those supporting the opposition. In certain instances, there were notably higher turnout rates in areas considered strongholds for the incumbent party compared to those favoring the opposition. The data from 2007 to 2018 consistently indicated a 2% voter turnout rate advantage in the south-eastern region over the APC stronghold. However, in the 2023 elections, there was a significant departure from this trend due to an unprecedented increase in turnout rates in districts such as Kailahun, Kenema, Bo, Bonthe, and Pujehun.*

*📌5. Irregular Low Invalid Votes: Upon analyzing the election data, a strikingly low number of invalid votes was observed. Ordinarily, there should be a reasonable proportion of invalidated votes due to inadvertent mistakes made by voters. However, the unusually low number of invalidated votes raises concerns about potential interference with the voting process, indicating a possible attempt to manipulate the election outcome.*

*📌6. Irregular Pattern of Votes Turnout between Presidential and Legislature Elections: A notable irregularity was observed in the voter turnout during the simultaneous presidential and legislative elections. The inconsistencies in turnout numbers between the two elections raise suspicions of potential manipulation or interference in the voting process, possibly aimed at favoring specific parties.*