By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The Chairman of All Political Parties Association (APPA), says the Proportional Representation (PR) system of voting earmarked for the 2023 General Elections will minimize incidences of violence.
Prince Coker told Politico that they are in support of the PR system due to the numerous advantages it carries for the country, saying it is less expensive owing to the fact that it does not cater for bye-election, in the event of a vacant seat in any constituency or ward.
He said PR gives the opportunity for all political parties to have representatives in Parliament which he said is very unique in any democratic dispensation.
Coker maintained that, they reached at the decision to support PR following a consultative meeting of all 11 (eleven) registered political parties in APPA.
He said it is not a new way of voting in Sierra Leone as it was used in the in 1996 and 2002 general elections.
The APPA Chairman reiterated that they have been working very hard to popularize the system and that they will be engaging the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) in relation to the threshold the commission will be allocating to political parties which he said is their main concern about the system.
He said further public engagements will be undertaken by APPA after ECSL would have determined the threshold.
Coker agreed that not everyone will be in support of the system given that the democratic nature of the country but that majority endorsement of the process supersedes at the end of the day. He said that, they hope to see a different parliament come 2023 with the implementation of the PR system.
He assured the public that PR is the best and that since it has worked in 2002 and 1996, it is also going to work again in 2023, stressing that it gives every potential candidate the opportunity to have a seat in parliament.
He said there are 17 (seventeen) political parties in the country but only 11 are registered with the association.
He also said the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) was part of APPA but they later withdrew its membership.
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