A travesty of democracy and broad daylight robbery in Sierra Leone, as President Maada Bio is declared elections winner and returned for another 5 years

June 27, 2023 Publisher and Chief Executive Officer KABS KANU ACTION NEWS, COMMENTARY 0

By Kabs Kanu

Freetown, Sierra Leone : What many Sierra Leoneans are describing as a travesty of democracy ensued in this impoverished West African country today as their much-criticized  leader,  Maada Bio , was declared winner of a very discredited and disputed presidential election by the country’s corrupt Elections Commission  , leaving the hapless nation with another 5 years of his despotic, bloody and inept rule that many fear will get even worse.

“It is a robbery in broad daylight” , screamed  social media influencer Alusine Koroma , who lamented that another grave injustice had been perpetrated by the Bio Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ) Government, which has incurred the wrath of international elections observers like the Carter Centre Group, the European Union and the National Elections Watch ( NEW ) , who all criticized the votes-tallying process as lacking transparency and credibility.

The Carter Group complained that “The tabulation process lacked adequate levels of transparency. Carter Center observers directly observed instances of broken seals and inappropriately open ballot boxes in three of the five tally centers. ”

Even the international media did not view President Bio’s election in a positive light.  Al Jazera said that “International election observers have highlighted problems with transparency in the tallying process.” CNN said that “.. The tallying of votes was fraught with controversies with international observers expressing concern about the integrity of the process.”

 

In a tweet as if also highlighting flaws in the voting process , the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Mr. David Reemer, this morning urged the Elections Commission  that the final results of the elections must reflect the will of the people.He said that the people of Sierra Leone deserved a free, fair and credible electoral process.  There are even  reports  that some members of the international community boycotted President Bio’s swearing-in ceremony later at the country’s Parliament.

May be an image of 1 person and text that says 'Paul Graham @PMGeducator Everybody watching a slow motion train smash which has now happened. But the people of #SierraLeone now have to live with the consequences. Nic Cheeseman @Fromagehomme 1h Replying to @Fromagehomme Very sad to see this outcome, which will lead to a government of low legitimacy, hurt the country's economic recovery and undermine confidence in the electoral commission. As we wrote in How to Rig an Election, only amateurs rig this late, this badly, and this blatantly... 6:26 pm 27 Jun 2023 697 Views'

The allegedly defeated candidate , Dr . Samura Kamara of the All People’s Congress ( APC) also described the final result as a daylight robbery. Earlier yesterday when the Elections Commission announced what it described as partial results, the APC  complained that its party agents were neither allowed access to participate (at tally centers) nor were they allowed to verify results prior to the announcement.

May be an image of 2 people and text that says 'ELECTIONS JUNE '23 FINAL 100% REPORTING 1,566,932 WINNER 1,148,262 262 56% FRERDO RSTA-T J3 Accountants 41%'

“In view of these grave infractions, abuse pf the democratic process and unprecedented lack of inclusivity, transparency and accountability, the APC cannot in anyway accept these results; we totally reject the chief Electoral Commissioner’s announcement of such cooked-up figures.”

 

In announcing the final results this afternoon, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Mohamed Kanneh, alleged that President Bio had  1,566,932 ( 56. 17% ) votes and Dr. Samura Kamara garnered 1,148,262 ( 41. 16). But the National Elections Watch stated this morning  that from all the votes cast, there was no possibility that any of the candidates would reach the 55% threshold. However, the SLPP  had been bragging since last year that there will be no runoff, and it looks like the Elections Commission helped them accomplish their goal.

Suspicions that the SLPP were about to perform their characteristic perfidy were aroused on Monday when the government flooded the city of Freetown with heavily armed troops in trucks and on the ground. This was while news was swirling around that the opposition APC  had actually won the elections.

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May be an image of 3 people, newsroom and text that says 'Jeffrey Smith @Smith JeffreyT 46m Having uniformed soldiers at the electoral commission is red flag and not a good look for #SierraLeone. known that Freetown wants to be seen and relied upon as peacekeeper nation in the region. It's lucrative opportunity. Images like this won't win them much support. Sally Hayden @sallyhayd 2h The scene in the electoral commission press conf when Julius Maada Bio was announced winner of Sierra Leone's presidency just now. re-election comes amid concerns about growing authoritarianism, violence by security forces & lack of transparency the electoral process. 242RSAFUL 1:30 10 山 1,781'

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Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio Wins Re-Election Amid Transparency Concern

The opposition party to Sierra Leone’s re-elected President Julius Maada Bio has disputed the legitimacy of the election, citing incidents of violence and intimidation at the polls.

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio has secured re-election amid concerns over transparency and sporadic violence, as announced by the country’s electoral commission. Mr. Bio, a former coup leader who has championed education and women’s rights, emerged victorious in the first round of voting, surpassing expectations by capturing 56 percent of the vote. Samura Kamara, the leading opposition candidate, finished in second place with 41 percent.

The election, held on Saturday, was a highly anticipated rematch of the 2018 contest, where Mr. Bio narrowly defeated Mr. Kamara, an economist and former government minister.

However, the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) has raised disputes regarding the vote tallying, expressing concerns about the lack of transparency and responsibility demonstrated by the electoral commission. The party criticized the absence of information regarding the origin of the ballots from polling stations or districts and denounced the alleged fabrication of results. The APC adamantly rejected the reported outcome, citing instances of “overvoting” and asserting their own victory.

During a press conference on Monday, European Union observers emphasized the lack of transparency and communication by the electoral authority, leading to a loss of trust in the electoral process. The observers reported witnessing violence at several polling stations during both the voting and counting stages, exacerbating the already tense situation.

 

 

While overall campaigning remained largely peaceful, isolated incidents of election-related violence targeted the opposition in ruling party strongholds, particularly in the southeast. Mr. Kamara reported instances of attacks on campaign posters, assaults on supporters, and even the burning of his party office in the city of Bo.

On Sunday, the day after the election, Sierra Leonean police converged on crowds gathered outside APC headquarters in Freetown where Mr. Kamara had assembled supporters to look over the data from the election. Firing tear gas to disperse the crowd, law enforcement said that APC supporters paraded through the streets harassing people on the road and claiming to have won the election before the official results stated otherwise. A spokesman for the country’s national security agency denied to The New York Times that the military was present at the scene.

As Sierra Leone navigates the aftermath of the election, concerns regarding inclusivity, and political stability persist, demanding immediate attention and resolution in the days to come. The reelected government faces the challenge of addressing these issues to ensure the restoration of public trust and the consolidation of democratic practices.

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