By Saio Marrah
The Chief Electoral Commissioner of Sierra Leone, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, has spoken of attacks on their staff and voting materials at four polling centres in Eastern Freetown on voting day.
He updated journalists on the happenings at a press briefing held at the Freetown International Conference Centre on Saturday 24th June 2023, explaining how polling centre with code 16140, Amaria School at Mountain Cut, the staff were attacked, and voter register destroyed.
He said the commission had to reprint another voter register for the continuation of the voting process.
Konneh pointed out that at another centre at Mountain Cut in Eastern Freetown with centre code 16142- Hezbollah Islamic Primary School, the voter register was destroyed and the staff attacked as well, with voting to continue later after the voter register was reprinted.
He said a similar incident occurred at Fire Stone Mountain Cut with the centre code 16141.
Konneh said at Josiah Street, Wellington in Eastern Freetown, the commission’s vehicle with registration number AHY-900 was attacked when delivering voting ballots to the centre and that the materials were destroyed, and the driver was mercilessly beaten and was hospitalised.
In Central Freetown, at a polling centre with the code 16148, Howe Street, ECSL staff were placed under siege for over four hours and some of the staff ran away.
According to him, police later intervene before the polling centre started operation.
He also noted that in Portloko, some people whose names were not on the ECSL register insisted that they must vote.
He also noted that there were a series of other cases across the country.
The ECSL boss admitted that there were delays in the commencement of voting at some of the polling centres in the country especially in the Western Area Urban and Rural, but claimed that most of the centres across the country started at the stipulated 7 o’clock in the morning.
Politico observed delays in at least three centres in Western Freetown.
Among them, polling centres around the 30 Junction at Hill Station, voting started after 11 o’clock in the morning.
At St Luke Primary School Wilberforce Barracks, voting only commenced after 10 a.m. According to the Poling Centre Manager of that centre, Mohamed K. Koroma, they did not receive ballot papers on time and some of the boxes had no covers.
Koroma said some voters had voter IDs, but their names were not found in ECSL register. He said those people were not allowed to cast their votes, but were told to wait aside.
Copyright © 2023 (Politico (26/06/23)
