…but presidential fee remains the same
Ahead of the tabling in Parliament today of the Nomination Fees for candidates for November’s elections, the National Electoral Commission has announced a revision of nomination fees which were announced two weeks ago.
In a press released signed by the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Christiana Thorpe, NEC has refused to reduce the fees for presidential candidates, which still stands at Le 100 Million as well as for Mayors and Chairmen of District Council.
However, nomination fee for Members of Parliament has been reduced to Le 10 million, down from Le 25 million, while candidates for Council will now pay Le 1 million (down from Le 5 Million).
The main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party which earlier condemned the increase say they maintain their position. The party’s secretary general Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie says NEC lacks the authority to prescribe nomination fees for candidates, vowing that they will challenge it. He referred to the fees as “exorbitant and an assault on democracy”.
