By: Mohamed Sahr
As part of the 2023 General Elections observation strategy, National Election Watch (NEW) has deployed thirty-four observers in a press statement on Monday 8th June 2023.
The press statement highlighted key objectives that would serve as an intervention before and during the electioneering process. Prominent among the objectives were to assess the condition that might impact the inclusiveness, transparency and accountability of the 2023 electoral activity. The objectives emphasized the documentation of all election-related events before and after the June 24 elections to objectively inform the citizens of Sierra Leone and other interested stakeholders.
NEW mentioned that the document would capture emerging issues that have the potential to negatively affect the electoral environment and processes and engage the relevant authorities to mitigate those effects; adding that it would also enhance confidence in the electoral process by highlighting and commending the best practices in the run-up of the election to identify and highlight hotspots ahead of Election Day. “This is to publicize all election-related developments to deter electoral malpractices and encourage citizen participation in the political processes,” The press statement revealed.
NEW furthered that the 34 trained and qualified long-term observers coupled with five Zonal Coordinators would be stationed at various districts for three months. They stated that the Zonal Coordinators would be responsible to coordinate the day-to-day work of the Long-Term Observers (LTOs) by collating daily and weekly reports, cross-validating reported incidents and generating a national report.