By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The voter registration process for the upcoming Presidential, Parliamentary, Local Council, and Village Head elections is set to commence on the 3rd of September and to end on the 4th of October of 2022, according to a public notice from State House announcing dates for certain elections.
The statement released on Friday 11th March 2022 stated that Biometric Technology and fixed registration centres shall be used to capture both the biographic and biometric data of eligible voters.
"In exercise of the powers conferred upon the President under Section 22 of the Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No. 4 of 2012), notice is hereby given that the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone intends to register eligible Sierra Leoneans from the 3rd September 2022 to 4th October 2022 in respect of Presidential, Parliamentary, Local Council and Village Head Elections to be held in 2023," the notice reads.
The 20th May 2023 has been declared the date for the election of Paramount Chief Members of Parliament, and 24th June 2023 for the elections of Ordinary Members of Parliament and Local Council representatives.
The Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed K Konneh yesterday 14th March 2022 announced 24th June 2022 as date for conduct of the Presidential elections. Speaking at the Press Briefing held on Monday, the Electoral Chief highlighted a number of reforms that the commission has gone through such as structural, legal, and administrative all from the one hundred and three (103) accepted recommendations from the various elections observation bodies.
Key among the reforms he said is the name change of the Electoral Body from the popularly known National Electoral Commission (NEC) to the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), and that the Commission will now fix dates for presidential, parliamentary, and local council elections in order to eliminate the debates of whether it is the President or the Commission that should announce the election dates. Reducing the nomination fees for candidates vying for elections, electoral sustainability trust fund, reducing the resignation period for public officials vying for elective positions from 12 to 6 months before elections and boundary delimitation range from 25 to 20 percent are also the other reform measures. Other reforms include provision for reserve seats for women vying for elective positions, Electoral inclusion department for women and Persons with Disabilities to improve their performance and participation in electoral processes. He said a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with three Civil Society Organizations in Sierra Leone.
He added that there has been a 10 percent increase in voting centres across the country.
He, therefore, called on the Media, Civil Society Organisations, interreligious council, security groups, and other stakeholders to work together to ensure credible elections in Sierra Leone. Konneh noted that the whistle for electoral activities has officially been blown but said official political campaigns are yet to be declared.
Sierra Leone last went to the polls in March 2018 with 16 registered parties, an election that led to the change of power from the All Peoples Congress Party to the then main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party led by President Julius Maada Bio. President Bio is set again to lead his party to the polls while the other parties are yet to announce their candidates.
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