Earlier today, Mohamed Konneh, the National Returning Officer, announced partial presidential election results for the recently conducted elections held on June 24, 2023.

These results, which accounted for 60 percent of the total polling stations, were processed and cleared by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) Result Management systems. The data was tabulated at Regional Tally Centres located in Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, and Port Loko.

However, some misunderstandings have arisen regarding the districts for which the results were announced.

Many people mistakenly assumed that the 60% of votes counted exclusively represented the districts mentioned by the ECSL.

It is important to clarify that the ECSL tallies for all districts were conducted at their respective Regional Offices. This means that Freetown tallied the votes for the Western Area, Makeni for the North, Port Loko for the North-West, Kenema for the East, and Bo for the South. Renowned politician Sylvia Blyden was among those who highlighted this crucial point.

It is essential to emphasize that the results announced today are only partial and do not provide a comprehensive picture of the final outcome of the Presidential election.

The ECSL will continue its meticulous tabulation process, ensuring that all districts’ votes are accurately accounted for. As the remaining results become available, a clearer understanding of the overall election outcome will emerge.

We advise Sierra Leoneans to exercise patience and refrain from drawing premature conclusions based solely on the partial results released so far. The final verdict of the election will only be determined once all votes have been tallied, verified, and the complete results announced by ECSL.