Voters in Sierra Leone, a small country on the West Coast of Africa head to the pools on June 24th to elect a new president amidst political tension and surging inflation in the country.

President Julius Maada Bio, who will complete his constitutionally first term of office in April, is on the ballot. Voters will have the opportunity to choose new lawmakers, Mayors, and Councillors.

President Bio and Samura Kamara have significant power bases across Sierra Leone, while other unpopular candidates are banking on the frustration over the economy to turn votes against the two major parties.

What are The Main Issues?

Sierra Leone is one of the countries hit by the global economic crunch. Some analysts believed that Sierra Leone’s economic instability started with the outbreak of Ebola in the country during the past government, the reduction of prizes of iron ore in the global market, Covid-19, and now the Russia and Ukraine War.

The top issue for many Sierra Leonean voters is the Economy.

Who is Running?

It is yet to be determined the number of candidates that are vying for the presidency. But the main contest is between President Julius Maada Bio from Ruling Sierra Leone’s People’s Party (SLPP) and Samura Kamara of the main opposition, All Peoples Congress (APC).

A lack of reliable pooling makes it difficult to predict the winner, but the ruling party has the advantage to use the state apparatus to mobilize support.

Double-digit inflation is at its highest in nearly two decades, Sierra Leoneans say life is harder than when President Bio took office in 2018.

As the economy suffers, hundreds of Sierra Leoneans are leaving the country in a punishing brain drain that is stretching a weak healthcare system and disrupting services from banking to tech.

There are no clear Ideological differences between the two major parties. Competition to amass state revenue, patronage,e, and ethnic rivalries typically play a bigger role in Sierra Leone’s Elections than Ideology.

President Bio, who has dedicated 22% of his government budget to support education in his first term of office, cast himself as a champion of human capital investment. After Prioritizing education in his first term of office, he has expressed commitment to overhauling Sierra Leone’s Agricultural Sector if he is re-elected.

However, as an economist, Samura Kamara has vowed to revive Sierra Leone’s struggling economy and enhance national cohesion.

The two major Candidates’ manifestoes are yet to be revealed to the public

How Will The Election Work?

Sierra Leone’s election will be conducted using the Proportional Representation System for members of parliament. The decision came after the Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in favor of President Bio’s decision to change the country’s electoral system to proportional representation, less than five months before presidential and general elections to be held on the 24th of June 2023.

Over 3 million people have registered to vote, of whom a majority are between the age of 18 and 49.

The challenge for the two major parties will be getting out the votes. Many young Sierra Leoneans who do not relate to the two major Party candidates have been calling for a third force to succeed these two major political parties in the country.