BY IBRAHIM JOENAL SESAY (232news.com)
The United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Germany, France and European Union Delegation representing the International Community in a joint statement issued on Wednesday 21st June, 2023 expressed concern by reports of election-related violence and aggression across the country.
The joint statement urged everyone to refrain from violence, respect the political choices of one and other and to reject the language of division and hate.
International Community recalled the peace pledge which was signed by Sierra Leone President, Julius Maada Bio of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the main opposition leader, Dr. Samura Kamara of the All People’s Congress (APC) Party among other political parties in May 2023 which the International Community said is an agreement in which they committed to peaceful campaigning and fair conduct in these elections and to resolving grievances through the courts.
“As representative of the International Community, we stand together as firm friends of Sierra Leone People,” they assured.
They explained that at the invitation of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), the deployment of national and international observer mission is underway and that in the spirit of partnership, they reiterate their support to transparent, inclusive, credible and peaceful elections that reflect the will of the people.
Chief Electoral Commissioner Assures Of Early Elections Result Announcement
Sierra Leone Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairman Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) Mohamed Kenewui Konneh has assured Sierra Leoneans of not only peaceful, credible, free and fair elections this Saturday 24th June but also assured them for early announcement of results.
Konneh was updating the media and international observers at the Bintunami Conference center on Wednesday 21st June 2023 ahead of the elections tomorrow.
Mohamed Konneh said they will ensure that results are announced earlier than it used to be in the past elections. He did not give a specific date of the announcement but emphasised that they will do it earlier than before.
According to him they have put a system in place to ensure that they reduce the time and anxiety but that he won’t give a definite time frame.
He went on to say that they at the elections management body want free, fair, credible and peaceful election, explaining that ballot papers for Saturday polls together with Result Reconciliation Forms (RRF) were received this past Monday, and that they have been delivered across the 16 electoral districts in the country.
He said that in the next 24 hrs. the materials will be distributed across the centers, clarifying that they have provided political parties with the final voters’ registers but not the same with what they at the Commission has in terms of details.
He agreed that Some of the voters’ ID cards were very terrible but that it was because of compression and the fact that the photos were obtained from the 2017 register but assured that there are no black and white photos on the registered
He revealed that they have re-printed 19,612 voter ID cards for people who have issues with their ID cards including faceless IDs and those who have issues with location that must be collected at the district offices of ECSL.
He said that Roland Enterprise printed the ballot papers for the early voters and that it was something that was made known at Political Parties Laison Committee (PPLC) meetings.
He emphasised that the peace of the country is not in his hands alone but all other stakeholders.
