By Alpha Abu
Next year’s General Elections will be based on the Proportional Representation electoral system instead of the First Past the Post system.
The Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, who is acting under the directive of President Julius Maada Bio has confirmed to Politico that the electorate will elect their MPs under the District Block system in the June 2023 polls.
Parties will have to choose those that will represent them from across the 16 districts in the country, securing seats based on the percentage of popular votes cast per district.
There’s been no reaction from the main opposition APC party to the presidential directive. But before it was issued, some members of the party had voiced their opposition to the PR voting. Critics Of the system say it will make political parties authoritarian and that parliamentarians listed might not be the favoured choice of the party members.
But proponents of the system believe it is less expensive and with little likelihood of violence. They also say it’s good national cohesion in a polarized society that is Sierra Leone.
It is believed that Independent candidates will be allowed to participate, unlike in 2002 when the elections were conducted under the block system.
Debate has been intense for some time now about which electoral system to employ in 2023, ever since President Julius Maada Bio began touting the idea of a return to the PR system.
Copyright (c) 2022 Politico Online (21/10/22)
