The Carter Center has in a statement it put out on Friday, June 25, 2023, expressed concern about reports indicating a lack of transparency during parts of the tabulation of the results in the June 24 Multi-tier elections.
The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
The Carter Center has worked in over 80 countries to advance peace and fight devastating diseases.
Over the years the center has helped improve relations among nations and has worked to promote human rights resolve conflicts and strengthen democracies. The Center has observed more than 100 elections in countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas. As a result, leaders are held accountable to the people in some places that have never heard free and fair elections.
Their concerns came on June 25th 2023 as the first day of tabulation drew to a close following the June 24 election in Sierra Leone.
In the statement the center called for maximum transparency in the days ahead as election officials complete the tabulation of votes and prepare to release final results.
The Center also advised the Election Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) to publish results at the polling station level to allow for cross-verification by party agents, citizens observers, and international observers in accordance with international best practices.
The Carter Center also urged all stakeholders to remain patient as the tabulation and results processes conclude. “Only the ECSL can issue final results. We call on political parties not to release data on results gathered by their agents until after the ECSL,” the statement continued.
On election day, Carter Center observers witnessed Sierra Leoneans turning out to vote across the country, sometimes waiting hours to do so, in a demonstration of their commitment to democracy. To ensure that the will of the voters is respected, it is essential to ensure maximum transparency and verifiability of the final results. The Carter Center has been involved in Sierra Leone’s elections since 2002. For the June 24 elections, the Center deployed observers across all of Sierra Leone’s 16 electoral districts. Carter Center observers have been observing the tabulation process in the five regional centers, maintaining a 24-hours-a-day presence in the Western area and nearly 24 hours a day in other regions.