By Kemo Cham
Opposition political parties in Sierra Leone have renewed calls for electoral reforms, amidst efforts to resolve rising political tensions in the country.
The latest appeal was made during a meeting between representatives of the country’s top political parties and the head of the government’s bench in Parliament, Hon. Sidi M. Tunis.
Chairpersons and Representatives from the ruling Serra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), the National Grand Coalition (NGC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Coalition for Change (C4C), and the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), were joined by representatives of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) at the meeting held on Monday.
According to a media release from Parliament, the meeting was convened to discuss various issues, notably recommendations from electoral observation missions in the 2018 general elections. At the top of the agenda was the vexing issue of nomination fees.
Opposition parties and elections observers, including civil society organizations, have said the current fees charged for candidates vying for elective positions are so huge they have the tendency to disenfranchise smaller and poorer political parties.
The nomination fee is a statutory instrument and therefore changing it will require amendment of the electoral laws.
The current fees, in force since 2012, requires presidential candidates to pay Le100million and Parliamentary candidate Le30million. Candidates vying for mayor and chairperson of local councils are required to pay Le1.5million. According to the NEC, these amounts are calculated based on a formula that always takes account of the national minimum wage.
Both in the 2012 and 2018 elections, the fees were reduced through consultations between the governing party and opposition political parties. On both occasions, the government subsidized the fees by 70 percent.
But opposition parties say they want the charges to be a matter of law, rather than it being subjected to the will of the party in governance.
Albert Massaquoi, spokesman for the NEC, told Politico that as a commission they also believe that that is the best way to resolve the issue. He said it is important for them because it impact political participation.
Massaquoi said because subsidization of nomination fees have been done only during general elections, participation has been higher then than during by-elections.
“As a Commission, we believe in participation. When you reduce the nomination fees, you increase participation,” he said.
Mr Tunis, according to the statement from Parliament, promised to present the proposal of the political parties representatives to the President for consideration. He however assured that the demands were in line with the government’s strategy of inclusion in governance.
“It is part of President Bio’s inclusive governance strategy to engage political parties in a dialogue to move the country forward,” he said.
The recommendations were presented as part of an initiative by local and international observation missions - Commonwealth Observation Team, ECOWAS, National Elections Watch. The goal, according to the observation groups, is to align Sierra Leone’s electoral laws to international best practices.
© 2019 Politico Online
