SIERRA Leoneans headed to the polls on Saturday to cast their ballots in the general election, where the main opposition party, All People’s Congress (APC), sought to capitalise on public frustration with deep economic hardship and challenge President Julius Maada Bio’s bid for re-election.
With about 3.4 million people expected to cast their votes in the presidential and legislative ballot, the campaign leading up to the election has been marked by tensions. The final stages saw the cancellation of rallies, and clashes erupted at an opposition gathering on Wednesday.
President Julius Maada Bio, 59, is vying for a second term as he faces off against 12 opponents. The race is predicted to be closely contested between the incumbent and Samura Kamara of the APC, who narrowly lost to Bio in the previous election held in 2018.
While Sierra Leone has not witnessed an incumbent leader losing the presidency in recent history, the APC has banked on the enduring cost-of-living crisis to sway the balance in their favor. In 2022, inflation reached its highest level in over two decades, and the national Leone currency plummeted by 60 percent in value.
At a polling station located in a hilltop district of the capital Free
town, hundreds of voters, including first-time vote
r Abu Koroma, 23, displayed their determination to bring about change. Koroma arrived in darkness two hours before the polls opened and expressed his sentiments, saying, ‘We have been yearning for change. We’ve had different leaders since gaining independence, but we are yet to have sustainable electricity, sustainable health, all these things a young person like me needs.’
The potential for political unrest looms, as last year’s unusually violent protests over rising prices have raised concerns. Both Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters leading up to the election day. Additionally, the APC’s recent questioning of the independence of election officials has further escalated tensions.
Amidst these circumstances, both sides have called for calm. However, there are apprehensions that the situation could deteriorate, particu
larly if no candidate secures 55 percent of the votes cast, triggering a runoff between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the first-round results.
Expressing his concerns about the possibility of vote-rigging, Samura Kamara spoke to Reuters on Friday. When asked if he would accept the outcome of the vote, he replied, ‘It’s not me. The acceptance has to come from the people… so it is the people we will listen to.’
As Sierra Leone eagerly awaits the election results, the nation stands at a critical juncture, where the citizens’ desire for change and the incumbent’s pursuit of a second term intersect, shaping the future trajectory of the country.
(with Reuters)
