Electoral Contest Heats Up In Sierra Leone

The contest between the incumbent Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the former ruling party the All Peoples Congress (APC) which is set to be decided in a mid-June election has intensified, with the SLPP accusing the APC of attempting to assassinate the sitting president former Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio on the campaign trail. The presidential convoy was involved in a road accident which Bio’s supporters insist was the result of a deliberate attempt to kill their candidate whose popularity has been growing according to several independent polls.

While the APC has vehemently denied the allegations the growth of rhetorical anger in the exchanges between the two sides in recent weeks tend to suggest that the opposition APC is facing an uphill task in its attempt to unseat the incumbent. A major poll of their relative popularity conducted by an independent agency in April indicated that in spite of economic hardship in the country President Bio’s efforts to provide educational reform and accountable governance since his victory in 2018 have convinced a substantial proportion of the populace to support him. The poll results suggest that unlike in2018 this year’s election will not be settled by a second round run-off. Instead President Bio and the SLPP appears to be on target for a first round victory.

Although some elements of regional loyalty appear to have survived in the perceptions of choice among the electorate the Maada Bio era has been notable for its promotion of values associated with generational change. Both himself and his main opponent Mr. Samura Kamara are devout members of the Roman Catholic church and considered to be promoters of high moral standards in governance. However, the APC candidate’s reputation has been tainted to some extent by the fact that he had served in ministerial positions in the Government that was defeated by the SLPP in 2018.

The incumbent administration has unveiled credible evidence of financial impropriety by that administration and this has provoked a high level of acrimony being spread by the APC as it seeks to distance itself from the allegations of corruption. However, the SLPP under the leadership of the younger ex-General Maada Bio has instituted a fresh climate of conciliatory conduct in its political style. Bio has been very active on the campaign trail in almost every part of the nation.

His wife Madam Fatima has also been very active. Her recent much publicised message of respect and solidarity sent to Madame Sylvia Blyden a famous female activist formerly prominent in the opposition party has won her a lot of support and generated encomiums from the average citizens. The campaign for the new order in Sierra Leone has thus taken on innovative relevance suggesting that the incumbent administration will maintain its incumbency in spite of difficult economic conditions.