The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) has disclosed that all candidates vying for presidential positions in the 24 June general elections will pay the sum of Le36 million as a nomination fee.

This was revealed by the Director of External Relations of ECSL, Albert Massaquoi, during an interactive session with the media, organized by the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG).

The other nomination fees proposed by ECSL, apart from the presidency, include those contesting for Parliament, Mayor or Chairman, and Councilors.

Massaquoi said that Parliamentary Candidate will have to pay Le3.6M, Mayor/Chairperson Le1.8M, Councilor, Le600,000, and Village Headman Le300,000.

He said the threshold to get a seat in Parliament is 11.9% while for Councilor is 4.5% of the total valid votes cast. He added that only the Leader and Secretary General of a registered political party will sign the endorsed list of candidates for the upcoming elections.

The director revealed that for the forthcoming elections, people will only see the symbols of registered political parties in the ballot papers and not the names of candidates.

He further disclosed that for every three candidates submitted by a political party, there must be one woman, adding that the nomination fee is paid for all candidates no matter the number of contestants during the nomination day.

For the 2018 election, Le30M was paid as a nomination fee by presidential candidates. The other nomination fees proposed by the Electoral Commission include; Le250, 000 for a Village Headman, Le500, 000 for a councilor, Le1,500, 000 for a Mayor/District Chairperson, and Le3 million for a Member of Parliament. The formula were based on the country’s minimum wage of Le500,000, at that time. The application of the formula, based on the minimum wage, would ensure a consistent level of nomination fees for all future elections.

Over 10 registered political parties in the country are expected to contest in the Saturday 24 June general elections.