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The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone has developed all policy-related reforms required under the Tripartite Committee’s 80 recommendations but is awaiting validation of its 2025-2029 Strategic Plan to formally adopt them, officials have disclosed.
Of the 80 recommendations issued in June 2024 following the contested 2023 elections, 52 directly involve the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). These break down into 23 policy-related reforms, 12 requiring constitutional amendments, and 21 needing statutory changes to the Public Elections Act.
“The commission has developed all of them one by one within the stipulated time. Some we got consultants to draft all those policies,” an ECSL official said, noting that the policies were presented to political parties at the last Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) meeting.
“We only need to validate the recommendations. They are part of this strategic plan. Once we validate the strategic plan, all of these other recommendations will be brought forward.”
Recommendations 1 through 5 address foundational governance issues: a consultation policy to be published within three months, a regulation-making policy within six months, cessation of document classification, compliance with the Audit Services Act, and clear separation between commissioners’ policy role and secretariat operations.
Beyond policy drafts, the commission is actively working on Recommendation 41, which calls for a code of conduct for election observers. A working group comprising observer organisations that have monitored the last three electoral cycles (2012, 2018, 2023) has been established to draft the code.
The code will govern accreditation procedures and observer responsibilities, with the commission planning wider stakeholder engagement once the draft is ready.
According to the Public Sector Reform Unit, 37% of all Tripartite recommendations have been completed, 47% are ongoing, and 16% remain uninitiated. The government appointed a Tripartite Report Implementation Coordinator in July 2024 to drive the process forward.
The ECSL has begun developing a new Voter Information Strategy scheduled for 2026 and is working with the Ministry of Justice on reforms related to electoral systems, fixed election dates, and use of census statistics. A national dialogue on whether Sierra Leone should adopt proportional representation or retain the First Past the Post system has already been held.
