By Nasratu Kargbo
More than half of the country’s population remains unaware of or does not understand the electoral system that will be used in the forthcoming election. According to a presentation by the Research and Policy Director, Andrew Lavali, and Professor Fredline M’Comarck- Hale respectively, 61% of the population said they are not aware of the change in the electoral system.
M’Comarck- Hale in her presentation on the 23rd of March 2023 to various groups such as the Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs), CSOs, and the media said during their research, they found out that only 32% of people are aware of the changes.
“We want to note that this is near double what it was a couple of months ago when we did a survey, this shows that little by little citizens are hearing about this, but this also speaks to the need for more intensification and continued voter awareness campaigns,” said the Policy Director.
She explained that when asked if they knew how members of parliament will be selected under the Proportion Representation (PR) System, 79% of the total population said they do not understand how the selection will be done, whilst 15% stated they understood how the selection process will be done.
More men than women said they understood how the selection will be done, accounting for 19% and 11% respectively. 19% of persons aged 56 and over said they understood the process, 46 to 55 just 17%, and those between ages 36 to 45 made up just 16%.
She noted that the younger the person the more likely that they do not understand the process of selection.
M’Comarck stated that CSOs had published a joint press release speaking on the need for inclusivity when it comes to the selection of MPs, stating that most of them do not understand and adding that it will be important to get clarification in that area.
She said they sought to know whether the respondents could have heard that one in three seats in their district should be given to women, and in response, 56% said they’ve not heard of such a development, whilst 39% said they’ve heard about it.
Speaking on behalf of the Electoral Commission Sierra Leone (ECSL) Commissioner for the Western Area Zainab Umu Moseray said they have been educating the public through their programmes on different radio and television stations.
She said they have tried to get key players such as political parties amongst others to educate the people on the technicalities, but admitted difficulties in getting people to understand the technicalities of the calculation, but was quick to state that the process will be appreciated when done than explained.
Moseray said she believes that partnership with the media will help educate the public on the activities of ECSL and that very soon they will hold an engagement with CSOs and stakeholders, and they expect them to pass on the information. She assured that the commission will do more in that regard. The research was sponsored by Irish Aid.
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