Sierra Leone gears up for crucial election

Sierra Leone's president, Julius Maada Bio, is seeking reelection in Saturday's crucial general polls — the fifth since the country's brutal 10-year civil war that left 50,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, and ended in 2002.

Some 3.4 million eligible voters will choose a new president from a list of candidates which includes the incumbent Bio and 12 other contenders —  although there are two distinct front runners.

A former foreign affairs minister, Samura Kamara of the main opposition All People's Congress Party (APC) is President Bio's main opponent in Saturday's poll.

Both men contested the last election in 2018, with Bio emerging victorious following a runoff vote.

Voters will also elect members of parliament and other local representatives on Saturday.

In Sierra Leone, nearly 60% of the population of more than 7 million live in poverty.

A rise in living costs has fuelled violence, the latest of which resulted in the death of dozens, including security forces, last year leading some people to call for President Bio to resign. 

Campaign messages dwell on economy

The government has come under increasing criticism but President Bio — who is representing the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) —  has now promised to prioritize improving access to public education and boosting agricultural production.

His government has blamed the current economic woes on external factors such as the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine.

But Kamara's APC party has rather criticised Bio's handling of the economy and high cost of living.

One of Samura Kamara's campaign promises is to fix the economy, but he is facing corruption charges for allegedly embezzling public funds from a renovation project in New York while serving as a minister. 

Abdul Fatoma, founder and CEO of Campaign For Human Rights Development International, a local advocacy group for democracy and human rights, told DW that corruption, the economy and general living conditions would come to play in this election.

"The public is looking forward to two things," Fatoma said, adding that his organization asked people 15 questions in a survey, including who they intended voting for in the June 24 election.

"The economy, the fight against corruption and jobs have been the top priority," according to the results of the survey. 

Fatoma pointed out that voters are more discerning now and would be making their choices based on how they feel generally.

"Our people are now suffocated with corruption," he said. Because of inflation and general hardship, "people have more interest in the welfare of the economy."

Agitation over electoral process

Campaigning has generally been peaceful, but tensions have flared as the day of voting approaches.

There have been pockets of protests by opposition party supporters who have questioned the processes leading to the election.

Some voters are concerned about the general atmosphere ahead of the polls following Wednesday's opposition protest in the capital.

"We have seen early signs of some form of violence with respect to the protest that occurred yesterday [Wednesday], which was conducted by the opposition party. We saw some form of violence between the party supporters and the security forces," a resident of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown told DW.

Last week, opposition candidate Kamara called for the country's electoral commissioners to resign. His party said the commissioners weren't capable of holding free and fair elections, and wanted the polls postponed.

Bio's ruling party in a statement rejected the demands of Kamara's party.

"The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is gravely concerned about the deliberate attempts by the All People's Congress to disrupt the peaceful elections and reverse the democratic gains Sierra Leone has made," it said in a statement last Thursday.

Reducing political tension

Fatoma is worried that utterances of the various key political parties could raise tension before, during and after the election. 

"It is a huge concern because the utterances of politicians during their campaigns are sending direct threats to our country's national security and that helps to undermine our democracy and the peace that we have built," he told DW.

Sierra Leone's chief electoral commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, said none of his team would resign following the opposition's ultimatum.

"We have addressed all these issues — in person and in writing. We are going ahead with the elections," he told reporters.

The election observer team from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has however appealed to Konneh to resolve all outstanding issues.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, a former president of the ECOWAS Commission who is leading the team, assured the stakeholders of ECOWAS' support and determination to accompany Sierra Leone on the path of democracy in the country.

"We are expecting although not a 100% peaceful election, but we are expecting 70% to 80% peaceful election," a Freetown resident told DW.

As of Thursday, the election looked like it would be too close to call, according to analysts. A winner must secure 55% of the valid votes cast.

If that doesn't happen, then the top two candidates from the first round will head to a runoff two weeks after the result is announced.

Edited by: Keith Walker

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