By Politico staff writer
The EU observer Mission has in a follow up visit to Sierra Leone called on the National Electoral Commission (NEC)to ‘’engage with all electoral stakeholders to address those issues to restore confidence in the Electoral Management Bodies and strengthen both, the transparency and integrity of the electoral process”. The team led by Neubert Neuser held a Press Conference at the Brookfields hotel on Friday 29 October 2021 during which he read out the Mission’s press statement saying “there is a significant decrease in trust in the essential bodies which play integral roles in the forthcoming elections”. They named the Judiciary,NEC, the Political Parties Registration Commission(PPRC) and the Police, as bodies which the EU delegation said they were told of suffering “a significant decrease in trust”.
The statement noted the role of the government in providing the political space for the state institutions to demonstrate their neutrality and independence, which would enable elections to be recognised credible by observers and the citizenry.
The team said there is a fixed consensus for a fixed date for future elections. Concern was also expressed about the timing of the Mid Term Census , and the mission said: “The use of an optional census to provide data which might be used to change electoral boundaries shortly before an election is not conducive to the political atmosphere or good electoral practice”. It was recommended by the mission that the voter register come from the civil register to save money and time. The mission praised efforts to have 30% women Members of Parliament in the 2023 elections.
Based on its experiences in the 2018 polls, the EU Observer Mission had then put forward 29 recommendations that were believed would give credibility, inclusivity and transparency to the country’s next general elections in 2023. Most of those recommendations remained unaddressed but the mission recognised the government’s expunging of the libel law as a “vital step ensuring and strengthening freedom of expression in Sierra Leone”, and also the improvements in the appointment procedures for board members of the Independent Media Commission who are no longer appointed by the President.
The delegation had earlier held discusions with President Julius Maada Bio who later on in his twitter account highlighted his engagement with the mission.
Copyright © Politico Online 01/11/21
