FREETOWN – The Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) has in a press statement issued by the Presidential aspirant, Julius Maada Bio described the elections to be full of discrepancies, citing statement made earlier by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) Chairperson, Dr. Christiana A.M. Thorpe as an example of what the SLPP observed on polling day.
Polling Disruption
Thorpe announced that polling was disrupted in Ward 392 and 394 in the Western Urban District because of elections malpractices. She noted that those responsible for the unrest have been arrested and helping the Sierra Leone Police in their investigations, while voting continued in Wards 392 and 394 uninterrupted.
“…NEC Chairperson admitted the disruption of polling in some parts of the Western Area… In addition to the discrepancies identified by the NEC Chair and the National Election Watch (NEW), it has come to the attention of the party that the factors that have affected the polling in Freetown are more widespread and a lot more serious than has been reported by the NEC,” Bio told The AfricaPaper.
Optimistic Bio
While Bio is optimistic that the SLPP has ample evidence and vital information to substantiate varied incidents of irregularities that violate the Electoral Code, the ECOWAS Observers say those inadequacies observed do not diminish the transparency, fairness or the credibility of the electoral process at this point in time. Still, Bio believes it has the potential to affect the final outcome of these elections.
“There are evidence of blatant ballot stuffing in several centers, especially in the Northern Region, Kono and Freetown with full complicity of NEC staff in most of these cases. There are videos of the NEC staff ensuring that voters cast their ballots for Ernest Koroma,” Bio claims.
Softly Dismissed
NEC Commissioner- West, Miatta French softly dismissed the allegations noting that they have not received reports of over voting and ballot stuffing in those areas identified by the opposition either from Independent Observers or political party officials. She confirms that everything in relation to the counting and tallying of ballots is going on smoothly and that NEC is in control of the electoral process and doing its work unhindered.
Meanwhile, official results for Parliamentary, Mayor/Chairperson and Councilors are expected to start coming out on midweek according to a NEC Official.
ECOWAS OBSERVATION MISSION TO THE 17 NOVEMBER 2012 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE
PRELIMINARY DECLARATION
I.Introduction
1.Pursuant to the Constitutional Convergence Principles of the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (2001), and within the framework of the Program of Assistance to Member States organizing elections, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, deployed an ECOWAS Observer Mission (EOM) to monitor the conduct of the Presidential, Parliamentary, Council, and Mayoral elections, which took place concurrently in Sierra Leone on 17 November 2012.
2.The Mission, made up of 150 observers, includes delegations drawn from the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, West African Ambassadors accredited to Abuja, and the Community Parliament and Court of Justice. It also includes experts drawn from the relevant Ministries and Electoral Management Bodies of Member States, Civil Society Organizations, and the Media. It is led by Air Vice-Marshall Christian Edem Dovlo, Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Accra, and supported by the Vice-President of the ECOWAS Commission and a technical team from the Commission.
3.Prior to the deployment, ECOWAS had been monitoring the political and security situation in the country in the build-up to the elections through its Early Warning Mechanism. In September 2012, the President of the Commission dispatched a Fact-Finding Mission to the country to interact with the principal stakeholders in the electoral process, with a view to assessing the state of preparedness for the elections
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II.Arrival and Deployment
4. The ECOWAS Observer Mission began arriving in the country on 11 November 2012. The Mission maintained contacts with the State authorities; interacted with the media; and held consultations with other observer missions, including the African Union, the European Union, the Commonwealth, the National Elections Watch, and the Women’s Situation Room. It also monitored the concluding phase of the electioneering campaign.
5.Following a briefing and orientation session on 15 November 2012, teams of ECOWAS Observers were deployed to 64 towns and villages throughout the fourteen Administrative Districts of Sierra Leone. These include 14 localities in Freetown (Western Area Urban I, Urban II, and Rural); 7 in Kenema; 4 in Kono; 5 in Kailahun; 5 in Bombali; 3 in Kambia; 5 in Port Loko; 4 in Tonkolili; 3 in Koinadugu; 6 in Bo; 2 in Bonthe; 4 in Moyamba; and 2 in Pujehun.
6.While in the field, the ECOWAS observers maintained contact with the Mission Situation Room in Freetown and with other missions. A team of observers also monitored proceedings at the National Tallying Centre in Freetown.
III. Preliminary Observations and Recommendations
7.Having analyzed dispatches and reports from team leaders in the field, and after a debriefing session with returning observers, the ECOWAS Observer Mission to the 2012 General Elections in Sierra Leone wishes to make aPreliminary Declaration on the electioneering campaign and developments on Election Day, 17 November 2012, as follows:
A.The Campaign, Opening of the Poll, Polling, Counting and Collation
i.Overall, the concluding phases of the electioneering campaign were colorful, enthusiastic, and boisterous. They passed off peacefully without any major incidents, helped by the holding of campaigns on alternate days and the vigilance of the security agencies.
ii.Except in a few cases, the media was polarized, partisan, and intemperate, reflecting the sharp Red – Green divide of the country’s political landscape between the All Peoples Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP).
iii.The Cooling-Off Day (16 November 2012) was generally observed.
iv.On Election Day, voters were observed in teeming numbers at the polling centers long before the official poll opening time of7:00 am. A few had spent the night at the centers while several others had arrived as early as4:00 am.
v.The demographic spread among the voters showed a predominance of women and the youth.
vi.There was conspicuous but unobtrusive presence of security agents at most of the polling centers observed. Security was provided by the Sierra Leone Police Force, supplemented by the Fire Service, Local Council Security and other para-security agencies.
vii.Overall, the political parties and their followers respected the prohibition of the display of party colors and symbols on Election Day.
viii.The vehicular restrictions put in place on Election Day, including manned check-points at vantage points around Freetown and other cities, greatly improved electoral security, even though they constrained the ability of some voters to exercise their franchise.
ix.In the main, polling officials were on the scene at most of the polling centers in advance of the official opening time.
x.Party agents of APC and SLPP were present at the opening of polls at all the polling stations observed. In addition, some other agents of between one and three other political parties were also observed, in particular the People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA) and Independent candidates.
xi.Essential electoral materials were in place in most of the polling centers observed, and the polls opened within 30 to 60 minutes of the official opening time of7:00 am.
xii.However, materials arrived late in a few polling centers, causing delays in the commencement of polling. Instances observed included SLMB Primary School in Port Loko (Code 0701), where materials arrivedat 10:05 am; Kondembaya’s Court Barry in Koinadugu District, Bombali and some parts of the Gbong District, where voting did not start until after3: 00 pmin some instances.
xiii.At the opening of polls, Polling Center Queue Controllers at the centers visited struggled to maintain order due to a combination of insufficient numbers, and the influx and enthusiasm of voters; the situation improved gradually with time.
xiv.In the early hours of voting, the Voter Enquiry Officers were too few and professionally unprepared to guide voters to their designated polling stations, leading to frustration. The situation was worsened by the difficulty in identifying designated polling stations from the displayed serial numbers of voters.
xv.In some areas, the physically challenged, the aged and nursing mothers, encountered difficulties in accessing polling stations.
xvi.Despite the challenges, voters exhibited maximum patience and perseverance in their determination to exercise their civic rights and responsibilities.
xvii.The voting process was slow at the beginning, complicated by the sheer number of elections being conducted, On the average, it took between 4 and 5 minutes to complete the voting cycle. However, as the polling officials warmed to the task, the pace quickened.
xviii.The polling officials demonstrated adequate professionalism in carrying out their duties while party agents ably watched over their party and candidates’ interests.
xix.International and regional observers were present in most polling centers visited. These included, besides ECOWAS observers, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), European Union (EU), African Union (AU), the Commonwealth, Carter Centre, British High Commission and American Embassy, the Women’s Situation Room, and the Women’s Observer Mission. Effective presence of Local Observers, was also recorded, led by the National Elections Watch (NEW), and including Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL), the Political Parties Registration Commission, Sierra Leone Action Network on Small Arms (SLANSA), Council of Churches in Sierra Leone (CCSL), Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church (JPCCC), Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU).
xx.On the whole, the voting process took place in an orderly, transparent and professional manner, and secrecy of the ballot was in the main ensured.
xxi.By3:00 pm, most of the electorate who wished to do so, had exercised their franchise.
xxii.In most polling stations observed, the polls closed at the official time of5:00 pmexcept in the cases where materials arrived too late.
xxiii.The sorting, counting, tallying, and reconciliation of the ballot, as well as the declaration and certification of results at the polling stations, were carried out in a professional, transparent and credible manner, and under the watch of party agents and observers.
B. Challenges Observed
8.Besides the deficiencies noted above, the ECOWAS Observer Mission also noted a few isolated incidents that could have marred the smooth and peaceful conduct of the polls, including the following:
i.Where voting closed well after5:00 pm, the absence of back-up lighting obliged party agents to improvise with cell-phones and flashlights to enable counting to proceed.
ii.The premeditated acts of intimidation at certain polling stations, Around5:15 pmon Election Day, a Cabinet Minister, dressed in military fatigues, led a convoy of armed soldiers to the densely populated precinct of Hill Station in Freetown. There, they were confronted by the local youth, provoking chaos and panic. It took the arrival of observers from ECOWAS and NEW, coupled with the intervention of the Operational Support Division units for the convoy to beat a retreat.
iii.At Polling Center Code No. 14221 at Metropolitan Center, Wilkinson Road, an individual snatched a number of unused ballot papers at Polling Station No. 5 and ran away. He was, however, later apprehended by the police.
iv.At the ‘Under 5’ Government Hospital Polling Center (Code 02013) in Kenema, ECOWAS observed the display of party posters.
v.At the same Center, as well as in a number of rural areas, the absence of standard polling booths and their poor improvisation may have undermined the secrecy of the ballot.
vi.It is the view of the ECOWAS Mission that these inadequacies observed do not diminish the transparency, fairness or the credibility of the electoral process at this point in time.
vii.Further, the Mission would like to draw attention to the mitigating circumstances with regard to the inadequacies observed. First, the elections are the first to be organized solely by Sierra Leoneans themselves since the end of the Civil War. Secondly, the novelty of the biometric system, coupled with the conduct of multiple elections on the same day, made certain shortcomings inevitable.
C. Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations
9.In light of the preceding observations and analysis, the ECOWAS Observer Mission to the 2012 General Elections wishes to make the following preliminary conclusions:
i.The preparation of the 2012 elections, the conduct of the electioneering campaign, as well as the processes on Election Day up until the certification of the results of the four elections by the responsible officials at the polling stations, were free, fair, and credible. The vast majority of the qualified Sierra Leonean population, who wished to do so, were provided the required freedom and space to exercise their constitutional rights to vote or to be voted for.
ii.The ECOWAS Observer Mission will continue to closely monitor the concluding phases of the electoral process, in particular the transmission of the electoral results and supporting materials to the National Tallying Center, as well as the processing and declaration of provisional results, and will make further declarations where and when appropriate.
iii.The ECOWAS Observer Mission warmly congratulates the peace-loving people of Sierra Leone, particularly the political leaders, their followers, and the electorate in general, for the tenacity, determination, sense of moderation and patriotism demonstrated in their quest for democracy and development. The Mission wishes to also commend the National Electoral Commission, the security agencies and all the other concerned stakeholders for their invaluable contribution to the success so far achieved, and urges them to pursue the process to its logical conclusion with the same determination and commitment.
iv.At this juncture, the ECOWAS Mission would like to caution individuals and groups, in particular the political parties, the media and civil society organizations, to refrain from speculating on or declaring unofficial results until they are officially declared. In this regard, the Mission urges the Electoral Commission to come out with the provisional results as soon as possible.
v.The Mission calls on all candidates and their supporters to continue to respect due process and the rule of law at all times. Given the individual and collective responsibility for the success of the process, the Mission urges all to resort only to legal means to seek redress of any grievances emanating from the electoral process
vi.Regarding the need to further strengthen the electoral process in Sierra Leone, the ECOWAS Observer Mission wishes to recommend to the in-coming Government, the Electoral Commission, and all other relevant stakeholders, to prioritize voter education and strengthen the electoral infrastructure in the country. The Mission also wishes to urge the in-coming Parliament to revisit the issue of nomination fees for candidates, which nearly marred the preparatory phase of the 2012 Elections, with a view to finding a consensual solution to the matter.
vii.ECOWAS wishes to congratulate the people of Sierra Leone for their exemplary comportment up to this point.
FREETOWN – As Sierra Leoneans wait for Saturday, Nov. 17 election results, early electoral counts position APC ahead in the polls. According to provisional reports coming from the Independent Media Network (IRN) and other news networks in the country, the incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma is having an unassailable 61.5 percent lead while his party, the All Peoples Congress (APC) has taken 72 of the 112 seats in the House of Parliament.
Prez Koroma on Election Day Photo: TAP/A. Kamara
Prediction
Political analysts monitoring the results from different parts of the country predict a first ballot victory for Koroma. But this will not be officially confirmed by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) until the final results have been announced.
Peaceful Election
About 2,600,000 Sierra Leoneans voted in a four tier election on Nov. 17 to elect a new president, parliament and district council members in an election described by international and local observers as credible, peaceful and nonviolent. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) says voter turnout is above 80 percent.
The Long Wait
In an interview with The AfricaPaper shortly after the close of polls on Saturday, Richard Howitt, Chief Observer of the European Union Observer Mission in Sierra Leone said he is very much satisfied with the voting process. Howitt noted that he saw enthusiasm on the faces of voters who had to trek several miles to the polling stations or waited for several hours under the hot burning sun to cast their votes.
“So far from what we have monitored on voting day, polling is going on peacefully; there is no report of intimidation and violence,” said Howitt, who also serves as a member of the European parliament. “There were some delays in few polling stations but NEC was able to remedy the situation and voting goes undisturbed.”
High Tensions
APC ‘s V. P. Sam-Sumana Photo: TAP Archive
Though some of the political parties are frantic to win votes, NEC is yet to release any official results. The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) has issued a press release alleging that some elections malpractices did took place and urged the NEC Chairperson, Dr. Christina Thorpe to investigate the Western Area, Northern Province and Kono district. These are areas the SLPP lost with over 80 percent of the votes to the ruling party.
No Run-off
At the APC party National Tally Centre in Freetown, an official reveals that they have captured 72 seats (21 in the Western Area, 39 in the Northern Region, 8 in Kono districts, 2 in Kailahun district and 1 in Moyamba and Kenema districts each). The official claimed that there will be no run-off as their presidential candidate has won 61.5 percent of the votes cast.
“We have been receiving provisional reports from our agents throughout the country. We have completed the collation and have recorded this victory in the first ballot,” the official claimed.
Bogus Claims
SLPP Secretary General, Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie described the APC claims as bogus. He also noted that some of the results coming in from the Western Area, Northern Province and Kono district are contestable because according to him, the NEC Chairperson Dr. Thorpe has in her press statement on Sunday acceded to the fact that some irregularities did took place.
“I’m appealing to our supporters to stay calm as we are also collating our results,” said Tejan-Sie. “We will communicate to them as and when deemed necessary. We will inform them also on where we made gains and genuine loss.”
APC’s Impressive Gain
Meanwhile, with the results trickling in slowly, it appears the two front-runners – the APC’s Ernest Bai Koroma and the SLPP’s Julius Maada Bio have made huge gains in their respective regional strongholds. However, Koroma has made an impressive gain in the Bio’s stronghold of Kailahun, Kenema and Kono which fell to the SLPP in 2007.
SLPP’s Zone
Conversely, the SLPP is reported to have won all parliamentary and local council seats in Bo, Bonthe and Pujehun districts; and winning most of the seats in Kenema, Kailahun and Moyamba districts. Musa Tamba Samba, SLPP publicity secretary is reported to have lost his Constituency-03 seat in Kailahun to his APC compatriot.
FLORIDA: Election Miracle – The election season is now over in the United States, but not in Sierra Leone, where elections are due today. Our folks are nervously prayerful that the power of God will take full control and perform a miracle. There’s so much deception as even perceived enlightened folks speak from both sides of their mouth – double-speak. Self interest motivates a sea of them becoming opportunistic, if not very greedy and outright mean without a heart for their neighbors and those from the opposite political parties.
Soliciting Votes
While in US I was bombarded by a flood of robo calls mostly from the RNC which I never had business with. But I was very tolerant when two Saturdays ago, RNC volunteers knocked at my door soliciting my vote. I hugged the vivacious white ladies and wished them well. They must have felt innately good hearing my unadulterated deep-throaty African accent, plus the nice reception they received from a seasoned Blackman they never had contact with before.
Nervously Different
On Saturday, just before the elections, two ladies, one black the other white, who portray a more realistic America to me; knocked at my door to make sure I had voted. They represent the diversified nature and cohesive tolerance of what the America I live in looks like in the realm and reality of things. I told them I am a long time Obama supporter who had spotted his potentials to seek high political office, even before his first bid for president. I gave them an insightful and honest lecture and followed them down the street, assuring them that we are going to win. Though their faces exposed a nervously different story from mine.
Passion and Trust
When I told them I was a writer their faces as spirits suddenly glowed and we bonded sharing deep passion and trust. I thanked them for their sacrifice, assuring them that Obama and the nation will decisively win on Tuesday and on that historic night just before midnight my prediction took a life of its own with drama and euphoria dominating the airwaves.
Appeal
I’m appealing to all Sierra Leoneans to exercise tolerance, optimism and love for the motherland and folks from all sides, to remain one family despite their opposite political views, being blood siblings sucking the breasts of mama Salone. Elections should not make enemies out of us and no need to resort to violence, foul language or emitting poison on any one.
Love of God
For the love of God is enough to unite this deeply fragmented and vulnerable nation seemingly trying to grasp the ABC of democracy, peace and unity. So help us God.
Success Story
Sierra Leone has been touted by the United Nations as success story of an African nation coming out of the rubble of warfare. Now charting its way towards welfare held together by thin strand of thread and longing hearts desirous to put aside the ugly past of the nation’s unflattering history.
Roland Bankole Marke is Book Reviewer and Opinion Writer for The AfricaPaper
NOTE: The AfricaPaper now welcomes open-eds and opinion pieces for publication. Views expressed in open-eds and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the position of The AfricaPaper. They are solely those of the writer.
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) announced in July that ten political parties have met the criteria stated in the PPRC Act and according to law; they are eligible to contest in the Nov. 17 elections.
PMDC ‘s Charles F. Margai Photo: A. Kamara, TAP
Ruled-off
However, with barely 10 days to election, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been ruled-off from fielding a presidential candidate after an injunction by the High Court that prevented NDA from doing so. The nine political parties are already accusing each other of milking the country dry.
Wrestle for Power
The popularity of incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma will be put to test on Nov. 17, when eight other Sierra Leoneans from various political parties will democratically seek to wrestle power with him for the country’s highest seat.
Opposition
The main opposition parties are: Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), Peoples Liberation Party (PLP), United National People’s Party (UNPP), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP), United Democratic Movement (UDM) and Citizen Democratic Party (CDP).
They have all expressed optimism to clinch State House though Koroma’s main concern is the SLPP candidate, retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio,
SLPP’s Maada Bio in Freetown Photo: A. Kamara, TAP
who was Head of State for six weeks in the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) dying days.
Pulling Crowds
Both the ruling APC and the opposition SLPP candidates have been pulling
crowds in most of their rallies though the Koroma has gained more grounds in the Southeast, which is the stronghold of the SLPP. There has been some amount of violence between these two parties especially in their respective strongholds but not enough to spark a nationwide uproar. While the ruling APC is accusing the main opposition SLPP of instigating violence amongst voters. Likewise the SLPP is also accusing the APC of the same.
Enters Obasanjo
APC’s Koroma’s Game Photo: A. Kamara, TAP
Recently, the issue of discussion was what the SLPP described as the “surreptitious entry of former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo into the country.”
Alhaji Alpha Kanu, the ruling party Spokesman denied the allegation and explained that the government is aware of the former president’s coming to the country and that he is a friend of President Koroma.
Obasanjo was in Freetown last week but headed for Kabala in the north, where the president was busy campaigning. He made a statement endorsing Koroma at a enormous gathering in the township of Kabala.
Political Mudslinging
However, the most interesting aspect in the race to State House is the spate of mudslinging currently going on especially between the UDM and NDA, who have been stealing the political show and recently Albert Joshua Carew’s newly registered CDP said both the APC and SLPP lacked the ability and sincerity to move the country forward. Mr. Carew was confident, when he said his party will not allow Koroma a second term. He noted that the country riches are harnessed by greedy politicians, who put their interest before the nation.
Popularity Quest
In its quest to gain popularity, the NDA aided by some media houses have been raising dust where there seems to be none, to the extent that the UDM had in most cases challenged the NDA spokesman on issues of national interest. There was a time when some executive members of the NDA went public to say that some of the party’s hierarchy has packaged the party to sell to the highest bidder, which they described as the opposition-SLPP, and this did not go down well with the party leader. The allegation was denied by both the NDA hierarchy and the SLPP Secretariat; and both described the allegations as a fabrication to destroy their hard earned reputations.
The NDA were restricted from presenting a presidential candidate when one of their flag-bearer aspirants, Mohamed Pateh Bah took them to Court for what he described as “Constitutional Matters” and the High Court Judge, Justice Charm slammed the NDA party an injunction, which made them ineligible to present a presidential candidate. The matter is still in court.
UDM’s Mohamed Bangura displaying his party’s Registration Certificate Photo: A. Kamara, TAP
Deciding Factor
The PMDC which was a deciding factor in the 2007 general elections is gradually moving towards the graveyard. Similarly, the United National People’s Party (UNPP), which came second in 1996 and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which was third in the 1996 elections slowly fading in the political race. PDP’s presidential candidate, Charles Francis Margai’s popularity is waning as the day goes by and there is every likelihood that this time around the third force will be the newly registered United Democratic Movement, which has a former journalist, Mohamed Bangura as its presidential candidate.
Apart from these four, the APC, SLPP, UDM and the PMDC, all the other parties have been silent, save for few radio interviews and campaigning trips to the provinces.
Meanwhile, Political Analysts are optimistic, the elections will be free from violence as all Sierra Leoneans are hoping and also noted that unless the opposition is united, President Koroma will win the polls.
