By Sallieu S. Kanu
The United States continues to be concerned about irregularities in the election results announced by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), the U.S. Department of State spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
Matthew Miller said, “Independent parallel vote tabulations and analyses by accredited national and international observation missions raise questions about the integrity of the official results. We call on the government to institute an independent, outside investigation of the elections process and integrate observer recommendations to improve the electoral modalities for future elections.”
President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected for a second term in the first round of voting with 56.17 percent of the ballots, according to results released by the electoral commission Tuesday, which have been contested by the opposition and local organisations.
International observers noted the “statistical inconsistencies” between the partial results and the final results and condemned “the lack of transparency” in the ballot count, while calling for peaceful dialogue to resolve differences.
The opposition All People’s Congress (APC), whose leader Samura Kamara came in second with 41.16 percent of the vote, said they would not tolerate “injustice, tyranny and usurpation of power in Sierra Leone”.
Miller said, “We are also disturbed by the reports of intimidation – including death threats – against domestic and international observers, civil society organizations, and ECSL personnel. We call on all actors to exercise restraint and engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve disputes.”
He said that the resolve and determination of Sierra Leoneans who went out to the polls on June 24 to make their voices heard was inspiring. “Free and fair elections are essential for any democracy. The government and political parties must commit to strengthening democratic institutions to better protect the rights and reflect the aspirations of the people of Sierra Leone,” he said.
Sierra Leone’s main opposition party has said it will not take part in any level of governance in the country, from parliament to local councils, following what it called “fraudulent” presidential election results.
“The APC declares its non-participation in any level of governance, including the legislature and local councils, as the results have already been tampered with to give the SLPP an unjust majority at all levels,” it said, referring to Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party.
“The APC unequivocally rejects the announced results… given the glaring irregularities and violations of established electoral procedures,” it said.