*Sierra Leone’s national elections watchdog NEW says no candidate has achieved 55% votes needed to avoid run off*
June 27, 2023
Sierra Leone’s elections watchdog – NEW, has concluded its press conference in Freetown this morning, after Marcella Samba – a member of NEW announced on national radio yesterday that, she will be forced to publish the election results NEW has in its possession – based on its own tally of votes cast across the country last Saturday, if the Electoral Commission announces false or incorrect results.
Contrary to statement published yesterday by Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), NEW says that “the results announced by ECSL are based on 60% of polling stations in each district but do not represent 60% of the total votes cast in each district because polling stations vary in size.”
This correction by NEW, critics say, thus exposes the incompetence and fraudulent behaviour of the ECSL boss – Mohamed Konneh.
Mohamed Konneh had wrongly and deliberately created the impression that the partial results announced by ECSL represent 60% of all votes cast in all districts.
What is also significant is that NEW said this morning that, no presidential candidate has achieved the constitutionally required 55% votes to avoid a runoff.
Sierra Leoneans will now go to the polls again at a date to be announced by the ECSL after its has declared the final results in the next few hours.
