29 Independent Candidates Paid Huge Amount as Parliamentary Nomination Fees

Report has indicated that 29 Independent Candidates paid a whopping sum of NLe104 as Parliamentary nomination fees.

According to Sierra Leone’s Public Elections Act of 2022 as amended, parliamentary candidates are required to pay six times the minimum wage (NLe 600) as a nomination fee for the legislative election.

That is, each parliament candidate must pay NLe 3,600 as nomination fees if they are to be eligible to contest.

According to Awoko Newspaper, a total of 10 political parties pay a huge sum of slightly over NLe 3,340,000 as nomination fees.

The total amount paid by both independent and political party candidates is over NLe 3,445,000.

The bulk of this fee was paid by the two main political parties, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC).

Zainab Joaque of Awoko reported that candidates of the two parties paid a combine sum of over NLe 1,944,000 of the fee.

Both the National Grand Coalition (NGC) and People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) paid a combined sum of NLe 813,000.

The paid fees are non refundable according to Section 58 subsection 6 of the Public Elections Act.

The only concession for the fee was for female candidates of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) who were given the leeway by their party.

Parliamentary election was conducted alongside Presidential and Local Council elections on Saturday 24 June.