On challenge of observing an African election - Part 3

Contrary to what was stated in Part II of the series, the people of Sierra Leone did not go to the polls on March 27 as scheduled by the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
The run-off of Sierra Leone’s presidential election was abruptly halted on Saturday, March 24, the day I arrived in Freetown to observe the polls as a member of the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG).
On that day, Sierra Leone’s High Court slammed an interim injunction on the chairman of NEC, Mohamed Alie Conteh, restraining him and NEC from conducting the presidential run-off on March 27. The case was filed by Mr Lansana Dumbuya, on behalf of a member of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) which won 42.7 per cent of votes cast during the first round vis-à-vis 43.3 per cent which the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) got.
In a strongly worded statement issued on March 25, SLPP’s presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio argued that:
“The matter was brought to the courts by way of an application by a member of APC, Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, seeking to have the courts halt the run-off election on the grounds that the NEC cannot be trusted to conduct a free, fair and credible election.”
A rather agitated Bio stated categorically that: “There is no gainsaying the fact that if the ruling party’s candidate had been the front-runner in the first leg of the presidential election, such an application would not have been brought by the plaintiff.”
Who in his right mind can doubt such a deliberate and desperate attempt by a desperate ruling party to throw a spanner in the works and hence disrupt a peaceful and credible exercise which they fear to lose!
As Bio stated, APC’s motives were clear: “They do not want a presidential run-off to proceed because they know the verdict of the overwhelming majority of the Sierra Leonean electorate will not be in their favour.”
Do the actions and behaviour of APC not remind you of the shameless and unpatriotic actions and behaviour of some ruling parties in our neck of the woods?
APC’s desperate attempt to frustrate the will of the wananchi of Sierra Leone fell flat on Monday, March 26, when the High Court of Sierra Leone presided over by three Supreme Court judges lifted the interim injunction slammed on March 24 and ordered that the presidential run-off be held on March 31. The judgment caught APC’s bigwigs with their pants down and set alarm bells ringing all over the country!
The ruling found me in Makeni City where I had gone the previous day to observe elections in Bombali district. Despite heavy rain in the morning of March 31, polls opened on time and the election proceeded peacefully. Voter turnout was, however, less than in the first round and there was visible military presence everywhere as if Sierra Leone’s territorial integrity was under imminent threat!
We observed voting, counting of ballots and tallying of the results. The latter two activities were slow which explains the long delay in announcing the final outcome of the election. The chairman of COG, former president John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, issued a second interim statement on April 2 in which he commended voters for their patience throughout the period and determination to exercise their right to vote; and NEC for “its professionalism, diligence and consistency in delivering another well-managed and credible process”.
He noted that the tabulation of results was a critical part of the process and appealed to all stakeholders that “if there are any disputes or challenges, redress should be sought using the prescribed channels”.
In this connection, the chairpersons of APC and SLPP signed an agreement on April 2 witnessed by the team leaders of AU, COG, Ecowas and UNOWAS in which they agreed to accept the results which NEC would announce and seek redress for any grievances in Sierra Leone’s courts of law. The final results NEC declared indicated victory for Brig Julius Bio who won 51.8 per cent of votes cast and he was sworn as president soon after.
COG observed that the end of the election provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to move together in a spirit of conciliation and build trust and confidence in the democratic institutions of Sierra Leone.
One lesson learnt from Sierra Leone’s elections is that if and where patriotism, common decency and political will exist, all African countries, including Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, can hold free, fair and credible elections. Aluta continua!

Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
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