APC Member of Parliament Mohamed Bangura and his counterpart from the Peoples Liberation Party (PLP) have raised strong criticisms against the Proportional Representation (PR) system employed in this year’s multitier elections.
During a media interview, Bangura, who represents Karene District, did not hold back his feelings, expressing a sense of being robbed by the PR system.
“I have the strongest belief that the APC has been cheated like, especially for the parliamentary,” says Mohamed Bangura.
“I take for example Karene District where I came from and contested the elections, all the RRF forms we have in hand, the APC and the SLPP have 9,000 votes of all the RRF forms we had” said Mr. Bangura. But after the final announcement of the final result, he realized that the SLPP scored 20,000 votes. And I asked myself, where did you get the balance of 10,000 votes? And that is a pattern that has repeated itself cut across the country”, Mr. Bangura lamented.
He went on to assert that conducting an audit of the Electoral Commission, focusing on results from individual polling stations, would undoubtedly reveal election irregularities, particularly concerning the fairness of the parliamentary member selection process.
The leader and Chairperson of the Peoples Liberation Party, Nabieu Musa Kamara, echoed these concerns and further demanded a comprehensive review of the Proportional Representation (PR) System.
He said, “We thought the PR System initially is going to benefit the smaller political parties. But after the elections, I think it goes the wrong way for us unless the two giant political parties, the All Peoples Congress and Sierra Leone Peoples Party”.
“He advised all political parties, including the ECSL (Election Commission of Sierra Leone), to convene and reevaluate the electoral threshold, deeming it excessively challenging for smaller parties like theirs
“11.9% is very difficult for smaller Parties to survive”. We should review the threshold to 4% or 5%. If a unique form of threshold is given for smaller, I tell you my party will make it through”, He continued.
To round the sixteen electoral districts for small parties I tell you my brother is very difficult Mr. Kamara ended.
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