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Sierra Leone’s Parliament is set to reconvene at noon today to continue the Committee Stage and Third Reading of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Act 2025, following a protracted and deeply divided session on Monday.
The legislative proceedings on Monday were marred by an unexpectedly long recess. A break originally scheduled for just 30 minutes stretched into an inexplicable five-to-six-hour delay.
During this pause, the Speaker of Parliament convened a closed-door caucus meeting with leaders from all political factions to negotiate the bill’s most contentious provisions.
Reports from the House indicate that the extensive closed-door negotiations failed to yield a consensus.
Despite the broader deadlock, lawmakers did manage to find common ground on removing a clause that would have allowed independent candidates to contest future presidential elections.
Lawmakers eventually returned to the well of Parliament late Monday evening, pushing the debate deep into the night before adjourning the sitting until 12:00 PM on Tuesday. High-profile observers, including politicians from the ruling and opposition parties, were present in the gallery for the late-night resumption.
However, the controversies surrounding other clauses remain unresolved. The proposed shift from the First-Past-the-Post system to Proportional Representation continues to dominate debate, with critics warning the transition lacks inclusivity and clear safeguards. Civil society groups, including the National Consortium on Public Accountability, have called for broader national dialogue before proceeding with the PR system.
The presidential election threshold remains another sticking point. The Bill proposes lowering the requirement for a first-round victory from 55 per cent to a simple majority of 50 per cent plus one vote, combined with a district-level spread. The APC has rejected this proposal, insisting on maintaining the current threshold.
The appointment procedure for the Search and Nominations Committee for the Electoral Commission also remains unresolved.
The Bill, which consolidates recommendations from the Tripartite Committee formed after the disputed 2023 elections and the Constitutional Review Committee chaired by the late Justice Edmond Cowan, requires the support of at least two-thirds of all Members of Parliament (approximately 99 of the current 149 seats) at both the second and third readings. Entrenched clauses would additionally need approval in a national referendum.
Parliament currently comprises 81 seats for the SLPP, 54 for the APC, and 14 Paramount Chiefs.
