The United States government may be considering imposing VISA restrictions on individuals believed to have undermined the democratic process during the recent elections in Sierra Leone.

U.S. Senator, Jim Risch (R-Idaho), a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tweeted on Wednesday that the United States is closely watching developments in Sierra Leone, including election-related violence, intimidation of observers, and the Electoral Commision’s non-transparent vote tallying & results.

His comments follow the declaration of the presidential election results on Tuesday which saw incumbent President Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) declared winner, defeating Dr Samura Kamara of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Party.

Kamara and the APC have refused to accept the result, describing it as a “daylight robbery”. Many international election observers also highlighted problems with transparency in the tallying process of the election results. National Election Watch (NEW), an election monitoring group that deployed observers in all polling stations across the country also said that the results declared by the ECSL show there are inconsistencies.

Jeffrey Smith, a Washington-based pro-democracy and human rights activist also tweeted on Tuesday saying that the United States Government will not endorse the Sierra Leone Presidential election result.

“Appears the U.S. Government and embassy in #SierraLeone won’t endorse the election result as announced, which declared incumbent president Bio as winner (with 1% over the required threshold). US reps will not attend the swearing-in.

“In May 2018, a White House delegation met with Bio on the eve of inauguration; they also attended his inauguration the following day. That the U.S. ambassador was absent today is notable.” Smith said.

Prior to the announcement of the results, the United States government had urged the Electoral Commission to ensure that the announced results reflect the will of the Sierra Leonean people.

“We applaud Sierra Leoneans for exercising their right to vote. We share concerns expressed by election monitoring groups about transparency of tabulation process. Sierra Leonean people deserve a free and fair electoral process with an outcome that reflects the will of the people.”, the United States Bureau of African Affairs said.

U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Ambassador David Reimer, also emphasized Washington’s keen interest in the election outcome, underscoring the importance of the results accurately reflecting the will of the Sierra Leonean people.

“Like all of us, Washington is keenly interested in the election outcome. The announced results must accurately reflect the will of the Sierra Leonean people.”, Reimer said.

The United States recently implemented visa restrictions as a punitive measure against those involved in election malpractices in democratic countries. Similar repercussions, including visa restrictions, were announced by both the United States and the United Kingdom for election interference and violence during Nigeria’s elections in February 2023.

In a statement on the US State Department website in May 2023, Secretary of State Antony Binken said “the United States is committed to supporting and advancing democracy in Nigeria and around the world. Today, I am announcing that we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on specific individuals in Nigeria for undermining the democratic process during Nigeria’s 2023 elections cycle.”

He clarified that the visa ban is specific to certain individuals and is not directed at the Nigerian people or the Government of Nigeria as a whole. According to the statement, these individuals, under US Immigration and Nationality Act, will be subject to restrictions on visas to the United States under a policy covering those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy.

“These individuals have been involved in intimidation of voters through threats and physical violence, the manipulation of vote results, and other activity that undermines Nigeria’s democratic process,” Blinken said.

On Wednesday, Senator Jim Risch confirmed Washington’s interest in Sierra Leone’s election affirming the U.S. governments’ decision to “hold accountable” those who undermine the country’s democratic process. If his statement is anything to go by, there are speculations that the United States may be looking into the same approach in Sierra Leone.

The imposition of visa restrictions on individuals believed to have undermined Sierra Leone’s democratic process would demonstrate the United States’ ongoing commitment to supporting democracy and the rule of law in Sierra Leone.