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Sierra Leone’s main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) has raised serious concern bordering on elections rigging ahead of the 24 June polls across the country.
APC said that they are going to be keen about tallying procedures, the disaggregated voter registration figures at polling centres, voter identity cards distribution, electoral data management protocols and the sharing of information by the Electoral Commission Sierra Leone (ECSL).
The party, in a press release, criticised the ECSL’s decision to tally votes of the presidential election only at regional level.
“We are very concerned by this statement as it runs contrary to the provision of the extant electoral law as contained in the Public Elections Act 2022,” the Party said.
They added that Section 51 of the same Act mandates that counting of valid votes be done at polling stations they were casted and that the result be transmitted to the District Returning Officer who will certify and transmit it to the Regional Returning Officer for final transmission to the National Office.
The APC said it is impossible for the result to be properly counted and transmitted without the aforementioned itinerary. They said anything other than the required process as encapsulated in the Act could be liable to “massive electoral malpractice”.
The main opposition also called out issues like the publication of final voter registration figures at national, regional and district level rather than at polling centre level.
In conclusion, the party also said the ECSL acted in secrecy in the award of the contract related to the printing of voter identity cards. They said, that was not the case in 2007 and 2017 where political parties were included in the process.
To restore my Sierra loaded news line
Na true talk, we da fear oooo
I begin to wonder if the APC is afraid of its shadow, afraid that nemesis will catch up with them or crying wolf wolf as a pretext to losing the pending elections. Should the APC of all political parties be afraid of vote rigging when in fact that is their mantra?
Let sleeping dogs lie.
I am hereby supporting the claim of opposition party , ECSL can’t come clean on this coming election. Please ECSL , try to follow the rules of fair election.
I normally disagree with APC, in all their evil machinations, however in this case in order to assure free, fair and creíble elections, I endorse counting at the poling station. Let us not give APC any reason for distensión.
dissention
The ECSL is working under the framework of the constitution of sierra Leone so APC should be confident and ensure that the election will be free and fair
That’s the fact ECSL should make anything transparency to all political parties in the country instead of doing it undercover……please mr koneh we sierra leonean need a free and fare election and we say no to election malpractices??????
This year elections how ever malpractice take place APC is going to win this election. The only thing APC need is to vividly protect their votes
I think the counting system at regional offices will erase pulling violence after voting or during voting.i truly believe if counting is done at regional offices all political party and international observes will be present there.so why the fear
There is need to count ballot papers immediately after polling close.
A p c should go wait for other year this year election is not for then
the statement that was said by Christiana Thorpe to go police now they going to report at ICC for trial