APC Rejects SLPP’s Push for PR Expansion, Executive Power-Sharing and Creation of New Districts

The main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) has strongly rejected what it described as attempts by the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government to impose an expanded Proportional Representation (PR) system, introduce executive power-sharing, and create new districts without due process.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the APC condemned the government’s moves as a “blatant subversion of democracy and the Constitution,” warning that such steps could pave the way for a de facto one-party rule in Sierra Leone.

According to the APC, the 1991 Constitution clearly stipulates that the preferred electoral system is the constituency-based First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) model, with the PR system only applicable in exceptional circumstances such as a national crisis or when constituencies cannot be properly drawn. The party insists that Sierra Leone is not in such a crisis, and therefore any attempt to replace the FPTP system with PR is unconstitutional.

The statement further expressed suspicion over the timing of the government’s proposals, pointing to the outcome of a nationwide consultation held under Resolution 78 of the Tripartite Committee. The APC said that despite government “manipulations,” the majority of citizens across the country had expressed a clear preference for the FPTP system.

The opposition party also raised concerns about the government’s proposal for executive power-sharing, describing it as “a ploy to entrench itself in power rather than a genuine model for national cohesion.” Citing Kenya as an example, the APC warned that such experiments elsewhere have ended in political crises and violence.

On the reported creation and division of new districts, the APC accused the government of acting without transparency, legal justification, or public consultation. The party said such administrative decisions must be based on clear demographic data and community input, not political expediency.

The APC urged the SLPP to focus instead on implementing the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee, which it described as the agreed roadmap to ensure free, fair, and credible elections in Sierra Leone.

“We condemn the planned unconstitutional restructuring of our democratic system,” the statement read. “We will mobilise all lawful and peaceful means to resist these undemocratic proposals and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Sierra Leoneans in defending our Constitution and democracy.”

The party also called on civil society, religious leaders, and the international community to take note of what it termed “dangerous developments” and to join in demanding that the government respect the will of the people.