Ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party is jittery and panic-stricken as 2022 and 2023 local council and general elections respectively fastly approach. The party after three years in governance has nothing to show to win the hearts and minds of Sierra Leoneans.
The party has not done much, and its second coming remains in doubt. The only option open to the SLPP is to resort to illegalities that considerably derail democracy in Sierra Leone. Their aggressive stance draws into question the calibre of people that filled the ranks of a one-time honourable party.
This article examines how SLPP’s fear for the multi-tier elections has compelled the party to resort to cheap politicking and illegalities. SLPP’s fear of local council elections has a long history that could be traced back to 1967 when President Siaka Stevens, APC contested the general elections with Prime Minister Albert Margai, SLPP.
In the elections that year, APC emerged victorious, and Siaka Stevens was invited by the British Governor-General, Henry Lightfoot Boston to form a government. Events that followed the swearing-in ceremony of Siaka Stevens as Prime Minister were deadly in consequence.
The events set in motion a number of occurrences that tremendously shaped the country’s body politic. No matter the horrific nature of the circumstances, the All People’s Congress (APC) won the elections. The local council elections that preceded the 1967 general elections were used as determiners of the APC victory.
Before the general elections were held in 1967, the local council elections were first held in that year.
The outcome of the local council elections did not favour the SLPP. After almost a year of political instability predicated on military rule, civilian governance system was restored in 1968 with Pres. Siaka Stevens at the helm of state affairs.
APC was forced to leave the political scene by a coup d’etat staged by the National Provisional Ruling Council in 1992. Real democracy returned to Sierra Leone in 1996 following the election of Ahmed Tejan, Kabba President of Sierra Leone.
SLPP was also in governance when local council elections were conducted in 2007. The incumbent, SLPP contested the local council elections but lost considerably to the APC.
In that same year, the general elections were also held and contested by several political parties with SLPP and APC as front runners. Results of the 2007 local council elections were also terrible for the SLPP. It lost the elections to the APC which was in opposition. Few months later, the general elections were held in which SLPP and APC were dominant forces.
The outcome of the 2007 general elections favoured the APC. Former President Ernest Bai Koroma of the APC defeated late Vice President, Solomon Ekuma Berewa. It was a clear repetition of the 1967 history.
Former President Koroma administered the country twice, and left the stage in April, 2018 following the victory of President Julius Maada Bio. The current President has manned the affairs of state since April, 2018 to date.
It is now 2021, and in 2022, Sierra Leone will go into local council elections. It is also hoped that the ruling SLPP and the main opposition APC will also be front runners.
Recent bye-elections for seats of councillors and parliamentarians have shown that the people’s loyalty to the APC has not wavered. Re-run elections have also said the same thing. Sierra Leone is very close to the local council elections.
By next year, the elections would be first to be conducted before the national elections. Hopes are high that the outcome of the local council elections would be a litmus test for the 2023 general elections.
Put in plain words, the outcome of the local council elections would go a long way to determine the outcome of the general elections.
Unlike the previous political situations of 1967 and 2007, the current situation already shows that if everything remains equal, SLPP would considerably lose the local council elections. The ruling SLPP has only six councils presided over by SLPP candidates while APC has nine local councils in its favour.
Apart from the councils in favour of the APC, the main opposition and 11 major political parties have also constituted a consortium to ensure that SLPP leaves power in 2023.
As SLPP stands very close at the exit door, the party has resorted to a number of manoeuvrings to ensure its continued political existence.
One of the immediate manoeuvrings to forestall a repetition of history is to come up with a policy that will take political parties out of councils.
It has been widely reported that the proposal to do so has reached an advanced stage. As usual, the proposed policy would soon be taken to parliament for endorsement.
Sierra Leone Parliament is now widely known for supporting PAOPA government in quickly approving their laws and policies without much scrutiny. Many politicians have argued that most of the policies approved by parliament is not in the country’s interest, but in SLPP’s interest.
However, SLPP faces stiff resistance from the main opposition and other opposition parties claiming that the “idea of a non-partisan local council elections is clearly unconstitutional.”
Opposition parties firmly believe that ensuring partisan-free local councils totally goes against the legal mandate of political parties to sponsor candidates for presidential, parliamentary or local government elections.
Sponsorship by political parties of candidates for local government is recognised by the country’s highest law, the 1991 Constitution.
The act of sponsoring candidates for presidential, parliamentary and local council elections by political parties is also recognised by the Political Parties Act, 2002.
The opposition parties are also of the view that unless the constitution is amended, it will be unconstitutional for political parties to be robbed of their legal right to contest elections at the local level.
The existing Local Government Act, the law that regulates local councils, considers citizens who are not inclined to running for local council elections under a political party.
Despite the opposition’s claims, SLPP is not restrained in its move to see councils that are completely free from partisan politics.
Apart from the fear for defeat in local council elections, the ruling SLPP has faint hopes of winning the elections in 2023. The fear is evidenced by the illegalities the ruling party has resorted to in trying to have their bills speedily passed.
It is seen in the attempted forceful passage into law, the Mid-Term Census and the cybercrime Bill of 2020.