- By Umaru Fofana and Cecilia Macaulay
- BBC News, Freetown and London
Jun 24, 2023 at 1:47 am BST
Updated 3 hours ago
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Voters face a choice Saturday between the same two leading presidential candidates as in 2018
After a tense, violent election campaign, Sierra Leoneans are taking part in a general election.
On Wednesday, the main opposition party claimed one of its supporters was shot dead by police, which police have denied.
Supporters of both major parties have been accused of attacking opponents.
This election comes against a backdrop of a struggling economy, rising cost of living and concerns about national unity.
In the fifth election since the end of the civil war in 2002, voters choose a president, MPs and councillors.
According to Marcella Samba Sesay, chair of the NGO National Elections Watch, the 11-year conflict has claimed the lives of an estimated 50,000 people, but the country has since had a tradition of largely peaceful, free and credible elections.
Given the strong party allegiance of the 3.3 million registered voters, campaigns have focused on strengthening the base of their parties rather than articulating and discussing political issues.
Who are the candidates?
President Julius Maada Bio, 59, of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) is running for a second five-year term. His main rival among the twelve challengers is Dr. Samura Kamara, 72, of the All People’s Congress (APC).
This is a repeat of the 2018 race where Mr Bio narrowly won after a second round runoff.
How much violence was there?
According to the West Africa Network for Peace-building Sierra Leone, violence has increased compared to five years ago. Since April, 109 violent incidents have been counted.
This week, the APC said one person was killed by security forces as its supporters gathered for a protest at its Freetown headquarters on Wednesday.
Police claimed the shots were fired from the direction of the APC building.
dr Kamara also said his motorcade was attacked and that the APC office in Bo town was set on fire last weekend.
The SLPP said it too had been attacked in opposition strongholds.
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What you need to know about the elections
President Bio called for “peaceful elections” and “no violence”. The African Union has also expressed concern over reported incidents of violence and intimidation in parts of the country.
The Portal news agency reports that the Sierra Leoneans are alarmed by the activists’ rhetoric.
“All I want is peace. I’m scared of the high level of hatred that political extremists on both sides are displaying on social media,” a Freetown student who asked to remain anonymous told Portal.
what about women
This election comes months after a landmark law that says women must hold 30% of all positions in both the public and private sectors – including in Parliament.
But analysis by Sierra Leone’s Institute for Government Reform (IGR) suggests the next parliament will fail to do so.
The parties have submitted lists of candidates for each of the country’s districts to be elected by proportional representation. However, according to IGR, there are not enough women high up on these lists to ensure that the 30 percent threshold is exceeded.
Of the 13 candidates running for president, only one is a woman — the little-known Iye Kakay.
How does the election work?
The APC has also raised concerns about the transparency of the counting process and expressed doubts about the Electoral Commission’s ability to hold fair elections.
The commission defended itself, saying steps had been taken to ensure the credibility of the voting and counting process.
Results should be known within 48 hours of polling stations closing.
To be declared the winner of the presidential campaign, the top candidate must receive 55% of the votes cast, otherwise a runoff will take place between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.