A 60-page report recently released by Carter Centre has called on the international community to bring to justice those who stole the votes in the June 24, 2023 elections in Sierra Leone. The move, the report say, will enhance credibility of all future elections in the country if the thieves are humbled in a court.
“Anyone who undermined the electoral process must be held accountable,” Carter Centre urges the international community adding that it should not waver in its advocacy that there be accountability for anyone who undermined Sierra Leone’s electoral process.
Sierra Leone’s democracy and those across the globe, the report notes, are dependent upon enforcement of internationally accepted standards for democratic elections.
It is hoped that once the judicial process is initiated, the country’s democracy will be preserved and the country does not slip back into another internal strife. The international community, according to the report, must engage in more coordinated diplomacy to secure the peaceful, democratic state it has invested so much to support.
Based in the United States, Carter Centre is one those international organisations that played a leading observation role in the June 24, 2023 elections and saw firsthand how the votes were stolen in favour of the incumbent candidate, President Julius Maada Bio. The report makes a strong case for a court action by providing details about the conduct of what many called dishonest elections.
Carter Centre election observers also reported that the electoral process “lacked transparency” at all levels (voting, counting, tabulation, collation and tallying) which led to false declaration of President Bio winner. In its preamble, the Carter Centre noted that they were honoured to observe the June polls in Sierra Leone with voters casting their ballots for Presidents, members of parliament, city mayors and local councillors.
It says the elections, the fifth general elections in the country since the end of the decade-long civil war, were an important opportunity to further consolidate Sierra Leone’s fledgling democracy.
The election however is a big setback for Sierra Leone’s fragile democracy and important warning to other democracies in the region. The civic and political space leading up to the elections was restrictive and narrowed down with SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) politicians parading as men with the only right.
Might was seen as right as state security forces were used as terror and oppression tools becoming very lethal and destructive in opposition strongholds. Protests in August, 2022 over economic conditions which took on anti-government character was also mentioned by the report as one that cast dark shadows over Sierra Leone’s multi-tier elections.
The clashes between protesters and security forces led to deaths and detention of political prisoners. In spite of the political thuggery, violence and threats that hang on the atmosphere, the people of Sierra Leone, the report noted, came out in substantial numbers on election day waiting patiently despite delays and demonstrating their determination to vote, but the votes do not reflect their will.
“There were important irregularities and a significant lack of transparency during the tabulation process that severely undermined the credibility of the results announced by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone,” the report pointed out.
Stopping the release of more information that can be assessed and verified, it is difficult to ascertain what the will of the people of Sierra Leone expressed on election day was. The Carter also noted that it observed significant irregularities during the tabulation process at all five of the tabulation centres in the country although the mission was not granted sufficient access to fully observe data entry operations.
The US-based election observer body also witnessed inappropriately open ballot boxes with cut seals in three tabulation centres. On the overall, the report discredited the entire elections process. “The Carter Centre does not have the confidence that the results of the June June 24, 2023 national election reflect the will of the people of Sierra Leone,” the report noted while reiterating its call on ECSL to release election results at the polling station level to enable the cross-checking of results consistent with widely recognised and established practice for good elections.
However, at the time of this report, six months after the elections, polling station level results still had not been released. Given the variances in the results and the violations of the integrity of the ballot boxes, the Carter Centre is not confident that if the ECSL ever publishes polling station results, it will be possible to credibly resolve any discrepancies with results recorded by party agents and other observers.
The report also took into consideration APC (All People’s Congress)’s stance on the elections and why it did challenge it in the courts.
“APC, the largest opposition party in parliament and the primary opponent of the SLPP’s incumbent President, lacked faith in the independence of the judiciary and chose not to officially challenge the results announced by ECSL,” the report noted adding that concerns about the courts’ independence are widely shared.
Parties that have electoral complaints do not trust the judiciary to provide a fair and impartial hearing. What was also glaring in the report was the intimidation, harassment and terror campaign in the post-election period with opposition politicians on the wrong end.
It notes that the immediate post-election period was hallmarked by an atmosphere of intimidation and misinformation to discredit election observers who were also threatened by the Office of National Security, a factor that contributed to the observers’ early departure.
Although the Carter Centre recommends judicial action against those who undermine the June polls, it however does not lose sight of electoral reforms for future elections in Sierra Leone. It states that “election reform to strengthen Sierra Leone’s legal framework in advance of future elections is required to significantly enhance their credibility.”
According to Carter Center, it is especially important for reforms to include a legal provision that requires ECSL to publish final results by polling stations to facilitate their independent verification.
It however also stresses the judicial measure as it notes that while election reform is important, the enforcement of current law and ensuring accountability for anyone who undermined Sierra Leone’s elections is also equally important.
Other election observation missions also expressed concerns akin to Carter Center’s. EU Election Observation Mission to Sierra Leone also reported that the election was never free and fair owing to political violence perpetrated by the security forces.
EU’s Chief Election Observer, Invin Incir said gunshots and teargas were fired during the elections to render the election environment unsafe for the voters citing instances in which APC supporters were killed at the party office.
Commonwealth, AU/ECOWAS election observers also maintained that the election was rigged in favour of President Bio.
As judicial action remains in the pipeline, according to the Carter Centre, an Election Investigation Committee in Sierra Leone is currently looking into the June polls to know what happened, how did it happen, why did it happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.
To ensure transparency and accountability for future elections, the committee is expected recommend not only a rerun but court action to hold the election thieves accountable.
News agencies who share their findings with this press report that the United States has opened an inquest into the political killings between 2018 and 2023.
Political and legal sources have confided to this press that key officials of the Bio regime would not escape justice.