By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
After a three-day close door mediation dialogue to resolve the political impasse in the country and to get the opposition participate in the country’s governance, the Government of Sierra Leone and the main opposition party All People’s Congress have on Wednesday 18 October 2023 at Bintumani hotel Freetown, reached an agreement for a better Sierra Leone.
The Chairperson for the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, Rev. Shodankeh Johnson who read out the agreement aloud at the midst of the APC and Government delegates, started off by expressing profound thanks and appreciations to the mediators, from the Africa Union, ECOWAS, Commonwealth, to the host of the mediation dialogue the Independence Commission for Peace and National Cohesion for the effort to bring the two parties together (ICPNC).
According to the content of the agreement read by the Chairperson of ICPNC, the Government and APC resolved a number of crucial issues that seemed to endanger the peace, development and electoral system of the country. Amongst the major issues resolved from the mediation dialogue were the end of APC’s non-participation in governance and for the President, His Excellency Julius Maada Bio to make a national address on dialogue, unity, cohesion and peace.
Based on the content of the agreement, His Excellency the President in consultation with the APC party would constitute a cross party committee on electoral systems and management bodies review with a three-way leadership nominated by the government of Sierra Leone, the APC party and developmental partners. The body was said to examine the electoral systems, structures and processes for the 2023 electoral multi-tier cycle.
The agreement went on noting that the committee would also be informed by previous elections with a view to heighten, highlight and address the continuous issues of elections and results management, including collation, verification, authentication and publishing of electoral data consistent with international best practices to enhance the credibility of all future elections in Sierra Leone that guarantee elections to be free fair and credible.
“The terms of reference will be developed under the 12 leadership of the committee within 30 days. The duration of the committee will be six months from the date of establishment. The recommendations from the committee shall be actionable and preventable. The committee would be gender balance,” noted in the agreement.
ICPNC Chairperson read out that the parties after the dialogue agreed to the following: release of any persons arrested, detained or imprisoned for alleged elections and civil protests, discontinuation of any political motivated court cases against the APC, other parties and their support to the resettlement of any political party supporters internally and externally displaced due to political intimidation, attacks and harassment.
But all that would be informed by a list to be submitted by the APC and other parties and considered by the government of Sierra Leone as soon as possible.
The agreement stated that upon ascension of their elective governance positions, all elected APC officials, members of Parliament, Mayors, Chairpersons, Councilors, have the issue regarding the entitlement address accordingly by the appropriate institutions.
“Parliament to address any issues as it relates to the leadership, composition, committees and representation in international parliament on behalf of APC. The composition of committees and international parliament must reflect APC share of seats in accordance with the constitution of Sierra Leone”, noted in the signed agreement.
The document furthered that both parties agreed to the institutionalization of an-inter party dialogue framework between the APC, SLPP and other political parties, adding that it would be facilitated by the government.
It noted that both parties commit to reengineer and rekindle the relationship between the national sociopolitical ecosystem such as between His Excellency the President and former political leaders, former presidents and vice presidents, the APC and SLPP leadership, etc.
In accordance with the signed agreement read by ICPNC Chairperson, the Government of Sierra Leone and the APC party strictly condemned all citizens at home and abroad who incite violence, spread hate speech and disrupt national cohesion online and offline, adding that the Government should continue all effort to bring those involve into justice.
“There shall be actions and commitments by the parties to implement the agreement during this mediated dialogue. To this end, the Government of Sierra Leone and the APC party commits to the establishment of an independent committee of moral guarantors, whose memberships shall be agreed by the parties to support and monitor the implementation of this agreement,” reinforced in the agreement.
The agreement was signed by the team lead of the government delegation Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh on behalf of the Government, team lead of the opposition delegation Dr. Samura MW Kamara, on behalf of the APC party, representatives of ECOWAS, Africa Union (AU), Commonwealth and the Chairperson of the Independent Commission for peace and National Commission