By: Mohamed M. Sesay
Just after the oath taking by Members of the Sixth Parliament, the Clerk of Parliament Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally called for an election for the Position of Speaker of Parliament as stipulated in the 19991 constitution wherein, Hon. Dr. Abass Bundu was duly elected Speaker of the Sixth Parliament in a simple Majority with 92 votes.
In his welcoming statement, the Clerk of Parliament Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally greeted and welcomed all members of Parliament into the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone. He added that the journey was very tough but they made it after serious screening by the party and eventually elected by their constituents as dully elected Members of Parliament. He added that all eyes of their constituents are now on them as Members of Parliament in ensuring that all government policies in terms of legislation, oversight and lawmaking are adequately translated for the benefit of their constituents. He added that the house of Parliament has organized an orientation programme which was geared towards preparing members of Parliament for the work ahead.
“Let me again express deepest congratulations on your election as Members of Parliament and I wish you all the very best” he said.
As part of the procedure, Hon. Clerk of Parliament said the Speaker of Parliament is elected through the Provision in the 1991 constitution. He disclosed that the Speaker of Parliament is elected among Members of Parliament who is qualified to be Member of Parliament and who have served for ten years. He said for the house to have a speaker elected, they should be a two third majority of the house. He said Honorable Members of Parliament shall nominate a member of Parliament for the position of Speaker of Parliament.
He added that section 83 of the 1991 constitution made it clear that a person has to make frantic efforts towards electioneering process to be elected, has to be pronounced by the National Returning Officer of the ECSL and has to take an oath of Office before he could be deemed as Member of Parliament.
He therefore, ruled that he had to conduct the elections based on the total amount of persons who were elected as Members of the Sixth Parliament.
Hon. Mathew Nyuma nominated Hon. Dr. Abass Bundu as Speaker of the Sixth Parliament which was seconded by Hon. Bashiru Silikie.
Hon. Clerk of Parliament announced that the candidate nominated failed to pull the two-third majority and therefore, called for a re-run of the election.
Also in the result of the second ballot which 96 members of Parliament voted but they did not make the two-third majority and therefore, taken the voting into a third rounds.
After the third rounds of the vote, the house also failed to get the two-third majority, the Clerk called for the fourth and final rounds of voting which is the simple majority vote.
