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Lawmakers in Sierra Leone’s Parliament have struck down a provision in the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2025, effectively barring independent candidates from running for the presidency.
Members of Parliament from both the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) agreed on Monday to expunge the clause from the draft legislation. Consequently, only candidates officially nominated by registered political parties will be legally permitted to contest future presidential elections in the country.
Prior to its deletion, the draft text of the amendment bill had explicitly proposed altering Section 42 of the 1991 Constitution to allow an individual to run as an independent candidate, provided they were not a member of a political party and had “demonstrated sufficient financial capacity and community support, as prescribed by law”.
The removal of the independent candidate clause follows similar opposition from civil society groups, including the National Consortium on Public Accountability, which had warned that the provision could empower wealthy individuals and undermine partisan democracy.
The debate continues on other contentious clauses. Lawmakers remain divided over the proposal to lower the presidential election threshold from 55% to a simple majority of 50% plus one vote, with the APC insisting on maintaining the current requirement.
The proposed shift to a Proportional Representation electoral system and the appointment procedure for the Search and Nominations Committee for the Electoral Commission also remain unresolved.
The constitutional reform process, which draws from recommendations of the Tripartite Committee following the disputed 2023 elections, continues to generate heated debate both in and outside Parliament
