*Voting With Registration Slip
*Manual Counting
*Use of Credible Data
*Counting By District
*No App To Transfer Result
*No Intimidation
Voting with registration slips, manual counting of results, producing the correct data, counting by district, no new App for the transfer of election result and no intimidation were contentious issues between the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) and the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) ahead of June-24 multi-tier elections.
The former has pushed for the afore-mentioned measures to ensure fairness in the conduct of the elections. The latter who are mandated by law to conduct all public elections in Sierra Leone wanted to go a different way, a move that resulted into a stalemate between the two entities. As the gridlock persisted, views about the postponement of the elections were rife.
Intermittent waves of protests led by opposition parties further cast big doubt on holding the elections on the slated date. Many Sierra Leoneans previously held the view that the elections would not hold since issues raised by the opposition were left unattended.
The latest protest created the biggest apprehension about the conduct of the elections. But, a sudden call by APC (All People’s Congress)’s presidential candidate for all protesters to go home and prepare to vote on Saturday laid speculations to rest.
With a smiling face, Dr Samura Kamara assured the protesters of a resounding victory in the elections, but cautioned them to protect their votes. “Go home and prepare to vote on Saturday but you have to protect your votes,” he appealed.
He made the announcement shortly before he left for a meeting with African Union observers. Despite Kamara’s confidence in next tomorrow’s polls, many have questioned him about how hopeful he is?
Without any hesitation, Dr Kamara’s hope lies in a solution for issues raised with the Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC), Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. Before now, ECSL took a firm stance that only those with voter ID cards would vote in Saturday’s election, but threats and protests have led to a change of action. ECSL’s decision has been reversed for fair play to prevail.
Credible sources have intimated this press that all voters with slips will be allowed to vote without a voter ID card. During the distribution of the cards, a huge number of voters were left out particularly in the North-West regions where APC expects to get more votes.
ECSL’s action, for many Sierra Leoneans, is a ploy to disenfranchise several voters in APC strongholds so that SLPP could have an edge in the election. Previous interviews with ECSL officials revealed that May 10, 2023 was the deadline for the collection of voter ID cards.
On the day in question, ECSL offices were crowded by those going in for their voter ID cards. Its main office at Murray Town in Freetown was the most congested as voters waited in endless queues to get their cards. It was a terrible moment as most voters went without their cards, a situation the ruling party should have been convenient with. With the new arrangement reached between ECSL and APC, the ploy is a mere smoking gun.
In a related development, it has been resolved that counting of votes will be done manually by polling staff in the presence of party agents. Digital counting which was proposed by ECSL has been completely ruled out owing to fear of rigging. Apart from slip voting and manual counting, correct voter registration data was also high on APC’s list of demands.
It was the main cause of the protest which would have seen the elections postponed to a future date. The slogan ‘NO DATA, NO ELECTION’ says it all. In all previous elections in Sierra Leone, ECSL used to release a comprehensive disaggregated data to all political parties and other important election stakeholders for thorough review.
Such information would be placed on visible areas for the public. Even neighbouring Liberia whose election is four months away has released a credible voter registration data. It is a different case for the June-24 elections for which no data has been provided.
The one given out recently has been withdrawn owing to alleged errors and inconsistencies. However, it has been resolved that the voter registration data held by the international community would be used. The exact number of voters is in the data and any additional figure after voting implies rigging for which appropriate action would be taken.
The law on elections is quite clear on over-voting in any electoral process. The Public Elections Act, 2022 confers power on ECSL to nullify any centre where over-voting takes place. In such a situation, it is either polling staff does the right thing or risks cancellation of votes.
To further enhance fairness in Saturday’s election, counting will be done by district and not by regions as originally planned by ECSL. Counting by districts has been the rule for all past elections, and wonders about why ECSL chooses to go by regions still lingers. For many Sierra Leoneans, it is a rigging spree in favour of the incumbent candidate, President Julius Maada Bio.
In the registration period between September and October, 2022, many South-Easterners did not show up for registration citing a dissatisfaction with SLPP government as the main cause. South-Easterners said they were deceived by President Bio he fulfilled none of the promises he made in 2018.
No amount of persuasion changed their stance, and the figures that came out showed their non-cooperation with the voter registrars. About 2, 000, 000 (two million) voters registered in North-West regions while 1, 312, 947 voters were captured in the South-East regions. What a huge margin?
The use of an App to transfer election results has been abandoned too. The results will be transferred manually to avoid manipulation. In all past elections, no app was used to transfer votes, why only June-24 election?
What makes it worse for the incumbent candidate was the peace pledge he signed to the international community promising that no police or military personnel would fire a gun before, during and after voting. Any shot released in any part of the country in the election eve amounts to intimidation for the purpose of rigging for which the right action will be taken.
These were the measures Dr Samura Kamara and his APC team demanded during the press conference at New Brookfields hotel in Freetown held two weeks ago. Dr Kamara made it clear that: “Enough is enough; we need international commissioners to conduct June 24, 2023 elections.” Dr Samura Kamara also called for the immediate resignation of the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh so that a free, fair and credible elections can take place.
Members of the diplomatic community, APC’s top cream and dignitaries from different walks of life were in attendance to hear Dr Samura Kamara speak out.
The APC presidential candidate is very much in doubt of Mohamed Konneh’s competence to conduct June 24, 2023 elections owing to several errors. Nearly an hour’s presentation, Dr Kamara pointed out fraud schemes and irregularities that had already surfaced ahead of the polls.
The sub-standard voter ID card which is aLSO a controversial issue from the onset also featured in Samura Kamara’s address. “Out of the millions of voter ID cards I have seen, 90 per cent are badly printed, and no one has been brought to justice to such an injustice done to the people of Sierra Leone,” the APC presidential candidate stressed.
Errors upon errors ahead of June elections, Konneh borrowed 11, 000 boxes from neigbbouring Guinea for the coming elections, a move that caused the public to raise large eyebrows on ECSL’s activities. Never has Sierra Leone seen a situation in which ballot boxes are loaned from other countries to hold elections here.
Many Sierra Leoneans including Dr Samura Kamara are appalled to such a shameful act which must be rejected outright. “We will not accept ballot boxes loaned embarrassingly from our neighbouring countries.Why can’t we procure from our own resources or from donor support new sealed boxes?” Dr Kamara wondered.
With all these measures in place, Bio has been pushed to a tight corner where rigging is not possible. Before this time, it was often said the easiest way to remove Bio from power is to make the elections free and fair, and the time is here.