Bio Wins Sierra Leone’s Presidential Election

Incumbent President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio has been declared winner of last Saturday’s keenly contested presidential election in the country, which will give him another term of five years in office.

Sierra Leone’s chief electoral commissioner Mohamed Kenewui Konneh said on Tuesday that Bio was re-elected with 56.17 percent of Saturday’s vote. His top challenger Samura Kamara of the All Progressives Congress (APC), came second with 41.16 percent.

Vote tallying had already been disputed by the APC, which condemned in a statement on Monday an alleged lack of inclusiveness, transparency and responsibility by the electoral commission.

Bio’s declaration is certain to elicit rejection by the opposition in the country’s tense presidential election, following a process disputed by the main opposition party.

Recall that the ECOWAS Observation Mission to the country confirmed that the polling stations were mostly peaceful in Sierra Leone.

The head of the ECOWAS observation mission to Sierra Leone,  Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, said the atmosphere of the polling stations was generally peaceful with security agents present in 92 percent of the polling stations they visited.

He said 37 percent of the polling stations observed, polling commenced within the first hour, while 63 percent of cases of polling started with considerable delays due to the late arrival of polling staff and polling materials.

He made the statement on Monday 26 June, 2023, at a joint press conference organized by ECOWAS, AU and Commonwealth observation missions to Sierra Leone held at Bintumani hotel, Freetown.

He noted that Articles 12 and 13 of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance mandates the commission of ECOWAS to provide assistance to member states conducting elections.

He added that, “The Mission commends the sense of patriotism exhibited by polling staff, the security forces, and the general populace, who collectively played their parts in ensuring a peaceful.