By Thomas Dixon
232News
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Sierra Leone gains in democracy which it has developed for over 20 years is facing rapid deterioration under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio, this was made known by the Global Democracy Index.
The index revealed that democracy in sub–Saharan Africa has declined and that the decline was driven by a broad-based deterioration across all five categories.
“A substantial decline in the electoral process and pluralism category was driven by the cascade of successful and attempted coups in 2023. The functioning of government category—the score for which declined marginally in 2023—is the lowest-scoring category in the region, at 3.09, and the second-lowest score of any region but the Middle East and North Africa. The region’s scores for political participation, political culture and civil liberties all declined in 2023,” the report revealed.
Sierra Leone, according to the report is amongst five countries which registered the sharpest decline in democracy with -0.71 followed Mali, Madagascar, Niger and Gabon.
That In Sierra Leone, the presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2023—in which Julius Maada Bio secured a second five-year term and the Sierra Leone People’s Party won an absolute parliamentary majority—were contested by the opposition.
“International observers cited inconsistencies in the vote-counting process and a lack of transparency in the functioning of the election commission,” the report stated.
Adding that “in November 26th Sierra Leonean authorities declared a nationwide 24-hour curfew after rogue members of the military attacked Wilberforce military barracks and broke into several prisons in the capital, Freetown, in a foiled coup attempt.”
The report revealed that Sierra Leone’s overall score fell from 5.03 in 2022 to 4.32, driven by a significant decline in the electoral process and pluralism and political culture categories.
