By Ayodele Deen Cole
A new report from the Institute of Governance Research (IGR) has indicated that over 56 per cent of residents in the country believe that there will be violence during the conduct of the upcoming 24 June 2023 general elections across the country.
This latest report from IGR dubbed “Sierrapolls” was conducted last month across the country to gauge the public’s confidence in the safe and peaceful conduct of the upcoming general elections.
According to the Executive Director of IGR, Andrew Lavalie, the “Sierrapolls” is carried out monthly by the organisation, adding that the latest April statistics showed an increase in the number of people who are in fear of electoral violence, rising from 20 to 56 per cent.
While responding to the latest report, the IGR Executive Director noted that the increase of 36 per cent in the polls is a worrying concern for the security and other electoral stakeholders in the country, adding that the government needs to come up with a solid plan to raise the level of security confidence among the electorate.
He continued that the Sierrapolls report is being put together by local Sierra Leoneans using data and opinions from over 1,500 people from the elite and grassroots classes of society.
Andrew Lavalie further called on the Political Party Regulation Commission (PPRC) and the Peace Commission to start massive peace awareness raising campaigns among all contesting political parties to defuse the fear of violence in the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, the Presidential candidate for the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), Dr Samura Kamara, has called on the international and diplomatic communities present in the country to ensure a level playing field in the conduct of the June 24 general elections to avoid tension and other forms of electoral violence.