Latest revelations at the Tripartite Committee shows that ECSL (electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) has failed the people of Sierra Leone through alleged election rigging which has brought the country to a standstill.
Initially, the election body was singled out for undermining the work of the Tripartite Committee by failing to submit the necessary documents demanded by the investigators, a clear move to evade accountability and to shield the masterminds of the election rigging on June 24, 2023.
However, according to reliable sources, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh has submitted the much-need and long-awaited information including the disaggregated data which shows that the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party ((SLPP) is not the actual winner of the elections. SLPP’s victory is also doubted by several quaters.
It is a real diversion of the will of people as indicated by reports of local and international election observation missions.
Almost all reports indicated that the election “lacked transparency,” and therefore a misnomer for the ruling party to grab the votes.
EU report did not only condemn the election but also showed instances of gun violence against opposition politicians resulting into fatalities whose exact number is yet unknown.
The EU Chief Election observer, Ivin Incir said in a press brief held two days after the election that the opposition leader, Dr Samura Kamara survived an assassination attempt at APC headquarters. Similarly, Carter Centre report also discredited the electoral process and recommended accountability for all those who undermined the June 24, 2023 general election in Sierra Leone.
Similarly, the local election observer mission, National Elections Watch (NEW) also indicated that none of the two political parties got the 55 percent required by law to avoid a run off.
NEW consists of local civil society organisations specialised in election monitoring and reporting, and they have been observing past elections in Sierra Leone.
It makes projections ahead of the announcement of the final elections using the process and Result Verification for Transparency (PRVT). According to NEW’s projection of the June polls, the election was supposed to go to a second round since no candidate reached the legally recognised threshold.
But, ECSL’s declaration of the incumbent winner of the election left many questions than answers.
ECSL is a body charged with the responsibility of conducting and supervising public elections and referenda in Sierra Leone.
In the discharge of its functions, the commission is not subject to the direction and control of any person or authority, and such autonomy is to ensure that the right thing is done.
According to the Public Elections Act, 2022 as amended, the elections commission is under legal obligation to hold free and fair election. This obligation is however ignored as ECSL failed to adhere to internationally accepted standards of honest and transparent election.
International election best practice demands that the voter register be published ahead of voting, protecting the franchise right, providing security for the people and allowing them to have a say in the voting process.
However, the Chief Electoral Commissioner complied with none of those demands.
No voter register was published ahead of the election despite repeated calls by opposition politicians and members of the international community.
ECSL officials were also accused of failing to protect the franchise right as they allegedly embarked on overt and covert moves to undermine the integrity of the electoral process. Reports from election observers showed that voting materials did not reach on time, a good number of polling centres in the North-West regions, strongholds of the opposition.
It was a seeming delay tactics to derail the electoral process, according to observers in the media, to confer political advantage on the ruling party.
Majority of the voters who lacked the courage to stand too long in the queue returned home without voting.
Others were also chased by security forces for arrest and detention on the slightest allegation of inciting or taking part in the August 10, 2022 demonstration staged against the Bio regime for the unbearable inflation in Sierra Leone. The rapid price hikes hit everyone in Sierra Leone especially the haven-ots who are in the majority. The indiscriminate waves of arrest in APC strongholds based on mere finger pointing started from the registration period as a way of keeping away voters from the election process.
Thousands of voters in the North-West regions did not get their voter identity cards while others got them too late almost a day to voting. No identity card means no right to vote during the polls as no one who failed to show the cards will not have voting right.
First-time voters, (those who had never voted before) were allegedly completely disenfranchised using NaCRA (National Civil Registration Authority) to achieve such mission. The first-time voters will be allowed to vote only if they get their data right from registration authority.
The people did not feel safe and secure owing to visible threats that hung on the atmosphere and many did not vote. Many say ECSL, with an intent to rig the election, ensured that there was heavy police and military presence on the polling centres much to the dissatisfaction of the voters who felt threatened.
The people were wary about the consequences they might face if situation goes out of control. Many of the voters were scared away by the armed men.
Throughout the voting process, one can see that the people’s views about the election were completely discarded as ECSL officials protected only government’s interest.
According to Political observers, such move is to ensure that the ruling party retains power. It came to pass, but the victory is a pyrrhic victory : it is as costly as a defeat as the PAOPA regime does not enjoy the comfort and largesse that accompanies power and leadership.
Currently, an election probe is ongoing with no one knowing the outcome, but the people are hopeful of recommendations that will favour them.
Majority of Sierra Leoneans demand either a rerun or fresh election or the opposition leader, Dr Samura Kamara declared President as he is widely considered to be the winner of the election.
The election investigation body known as the Tripartite Committee is expected to come out with their recommendations on June 19, this year. All eyes and attention fixed to that date, and any recommendation that falls short of the afore-metioned demands will be a disfavour to the voters who wonders whether the Tripartite Committee will restore their hope.