By: Ilyasa Baa
The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) has held sensitization meeting with stakeholders in Port Loko District on the new Proportional Representation (PR) which is going to be used by the Commission to conduct the June 24th Parliamentary election.
ECSL has been going round the country to explain to people about the PR system of election for the benefit of young voters especially.
Residents of Port Loko expressed their appreciation to the Commission for taking their time to explain to them about the provisions of the PR system. They said the Commission has done what was expected of them by reaching out to them at this point in time when information about the new system was actually needed to spiral.
The Paramount Chief of Kasseh Chiefdom, PC Bai Bureh Lubbu said them the stakeholders would ensure what they have learned about the PR system is cascaded to the entire Chiefdom as well as the small villages in the district. He said the space provided by the system for women representation is a bold message he would take across to the women of his Chiefdom who may want to run for elective offices. “At least our fear that Independent Candidates will not take part in the election has been allayed”, stated PC Bai Bureh.
Mammy Fatmata Kamara called on women of Port Loko to come out for elective positions on June 24th noting that power should not be left in the hands of men only.
It could be recalled that the ECSL was taken to Court by the main opposition party to test the legality of the PR system but the Court says the Commission had the right to change the system of election through the directives of the President as provided for by law. The PR system had been used before in 2002 which took former President Koroma to Parliament by then. After that election, the First Pass the Post system resurfaced till the 2018 elections. The government insists the PR is better for the country giving the fact that it would held reduce political tension and save cost not going to by-elections.