The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), Parliament and leaders of the seventeen registered political parties in the country are expected to meet within the shortest possible time to decide which data the Commission will be using in the June 24th 2023, Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council elections.

“Parliament has the power to decide which data we will be using for next year’s multitier elections. Section 38 says the number of Parliamentary seats in each district can be determined by Parliament. The Commission is looking at it keenly. We are going to have a consultative meeting with Parliament and political parties on this issue,” the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh said last Friday while engaging political parties, Civil Society Organizations and journalists on the Proportional Representation System for next year’s elections.

He was responding to a question posed by the National Coordinator of National Elections Watch (NEW), James Lahai. Lahai asked the Commission to explain which data they will be using to determine the allocation of seats in each district in Parliament. He said “NEW is concerned about it, because of the implications it might have,” adding that they want to know if they will be taking the data from the 2021 Mid Term Housing and Population Census or the just concluded voter registration. The people of Sierra Leone are anxiously waiting to know the outcome of that crucial meeting.