Ambassadors of the United States (US), Ireland, and the European Union (EU) commend Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) for conducting credible and peaceful bye-elections. The Ambassadors in a meeting at ECSLβs Conference Hall in Freetown gave a positive assessment of the six bye-elections, especially the Tonkolili constituency 056 elections which was a hotspot for potential violence.Β Β Β US Ambassador David Reimer, EU Ambassador Manuel Muller, and Ireland Ambassador Claire Buckley all talked about the positive way ECSL and other Elections Management Bodies (EMBs) handled the elections.
Ambassador Reimer says all reports that came in were positive and even Secretary of State Samander Powers mentioned a project being done in Sierra Leone to diplomats in a meeting. They expressed concern about the increase in void votes.
Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC) Mohamed Kenewui Konneh told the diplomats that since his assumption of office the conduct of credible and peaceful elections has been the focus of the Commission. βWe no longer accept invalidation of results due to violence. We have shared the responsibility of the βhot seatβ with all EMBs. We did not want a repeat of the Kabala incident where ballot boxes were destroyed. Thatβs why every institution is working so that we maintain the integrity of the electoral systemβ.
In an update about the work of the Commission, he says the Commission is right on track for the voter registration process to start on 3rd September 2022. The Government of Sierra Leone is still committed to providing the relevant resources for the work of ECSL. The Commission will use the just concluded logistical operation model in the bye-elections to roll out the voter registration process and even the 2023 elections. βWe will see where we need to make improvements and expansion in the operational modelβ.
On the boundary delimitation, the CEC told the diplomats that ECSL will follow the laws and regulations binding the Commission whenever a census indicates a shift in the population. He assured them that the process will be done in an inclusive, fair, and transparent manner for the good of the country.
Commissioners Edmond Alpha, Marian Nyuma-Moijueh, Zainab Umu Moseray, and Abubakarr Koroma added their voices of appreciation to the diplomats. They asked that the Ambassadors in upcoming elections spread their observations to all districts and make public their commendations about the work of ECSL. They explained that issues of void votes will feature high in ECSLβs training and Electoral Education. The high-security presence in some areas was because of their history and that deterred the importation of marshals (thugs).
By Mohamed Amara Gando
