By: James Kamara-Manneh
The African Union Election Observers Mission (AUEOU) in their preliminary report on the just concluded June 24 presidential and parliamentary election has urged the government of Sierra Leone to ensure peace and stability in the country and to safeguard the security of all citizens.
According to the report, the AUEOM observed that elections were conducted in a generally peaceful, transparent, and credible manner, up to the counting on polling day, despite reported incidents of violence particularly during the pre-election period.
The report further commends the people of Sierra Leone for their enthusiasm, commitment and resilience to express their will at the polls and their unwavering commitment to maintaining democratic stability.
The report further recommends that ECSL adopts continuous improvement and transparency in engaging stakeholders to avoid mistrust and enhance confidence in the electoral process.
Provide comprehensive voter registration data to allow for targeted interventions in the electoral process to improve participation.
It added that ECSL should provide a gazetted list of candidates before the official campaigns season to allow them sufficient time to campaign.
The ECSL to make provision for Early voting for ECSL staff, media and security personnel working on election day.
The report urged that parties should refrain from violence, hate speech and any other acts that could undermine the stability of the country, and channel electoral disputes through the legally instituted mechanisms under the law.
However, the AUEOU was led by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat, and deployed the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) led by H.E Hailemariam D. Boshe, former Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and comprised of 50 Short Term Observers (STOs).
The observers were drawn from African Ambassadors accredited to the African Union (AU), the Pan African Parliament, Election Management Bodies (EMBs), Independent Electoral, Academic and Governance Experts, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from 26 African countries.[1] It was supported by the technical team from the African Union Commission and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA).
The report said the observers were deployed in 22 teams to six regions in Sierra Leone to observe key processes including the final phases of the electoral campaigns, Election Day and limited post-election activities.
