2023 Elections: Releasing Results by Polling Station is Not in The Law – ECSL
The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) has given the main reason for not releasing election results by polling station.
Speaking during a meeting with All Political Parties Association’s (APPA) meeting with the ECSL, the Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohamed Konneh said the law does not mandate them to release result by polling station but rather by district.
“It (Public Elections Act) says that we release the certified summary district result to political parties and that’s what we have done.
“So, the question or the request for us to release disaggregated data is not in the law, and if the Commission needs to consider that that is not mandatory and there is no timeline for us to break that even if we want to do that,” the Chief Electoral Commissioner said.
The main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) has been at loggerheads with the ECSL over the release of results of the 24 June polls. The party has refused to participate in government and governance as a form of protest against the ECSL not adhering to their demand.
The Commission announced the incumbent Julius Maada Bio winner of the Presidential Election after securing nearly 57 percent in the first round thereby avoiding a runoff.
Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Commissioner praised his office and other political parties at a meeting on Monday afternoon 24 July. He said the Commission worked within the ambit of the law.
“We followed the laws – we follow the regulations, the Public Elections Act (and) the Constitution” Konneh said.
Despite these, there were variations among election observation mission as to whether the elections were credible.
While the regional body ECOWAS said the election was credible, the European Union said the elections “lack transparency”.
Meanwhile, the Carter Centre and local observation mission, National Election Watch (NEW) questioned the results announced by the ECSL.
Result has been accepted with all various grumbles. But Mr.Konneh,how about the payment of polling staff that have WO
rked for the commission during the June,24 .election. Please we want it to be considered.
It has happened and the results are accepted by all even Samura Kamara though he has not openly admitted it. He knows that if he challenges president Bio times, president Bio will defeat him 12 times. So there is no point crying for data when you are fully aware that they do not have any evidence to show in the court. No evidence, no case in court and that is what is applicable in the case of APC.
Do you guys have proof of the acceptance you are talking about?
Many people will like to see it.
Don’t just send comments because of small money that will not serve you for up to 10 days.
Even if that were so, if people are challenging the results the ECSL released and are calling for polling station data to be released, why won’t he? He can’t hide the fact that Bio did not get 55%, this was a stolen election and the data is already out there are we will see it if he refuses to releases it.
ECSL worked within the ambit of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone and Electoral laws and Electoral act. That all. The law of the land should be supreme and nothing else