Keypoints:
- Bio says the two-term limit will prevail
- Sierra Leone’s constitution bars a third term
- His pledge comes amid constitutional reform debate
PRESIDENT Julius Maada Bio has sought to put speculation about a third term to rest, saying Sierra Leone’s constitutional limit on presidential tenure will prevail when his current mandate ends.
The assurance comes at a sensitive political moment in Sierra Leone, where constitutional reform has kept questions about presidential tenure and succession firmly in the public conversation.
Bio was asked directly about the issue during an interview at the Unstoppable Africa event in New York, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
‘There are a lot of whispers in Sierra Leone about whether President Bio will run for a third term,’ the interviewer said.
Bio’s response was firm.
‘I have said it over and over again,’ he said. ‘My word is my bond.’
‘I cherish democracy. I’m going to stand by my word. We have a time limit and that is what is going to prevail.’
Constitution draws the line
Sierra Leone’s constitution is clear about how long a president may remain in office.
Section 46 states that no person may serve as president for more than two five-year terms, whether or not those terms are consecutive.
Bio was first elected in 2018 and secured a second term in June 2023. The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone declared him the winner with 1,566,932 votes, representing 56.17 percent of valid ballots cast.
Africa Briefing reported Bio’s re-election after the commission announced the result.
Under the constitution as it currently stands, his second term is his last.
Bio did not use the exact words ‘I will not run for a third term’ during the interview. But his message was clear: the constitutional time limit, he said, would prevail.
Reform debate keeps question alive
The issue has attracted particular attention because Sierra Leone has been considering constitutional changes.
In August, Bio addressed the country ahead of a parliamentary vote on the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Bill, 2025, placing constitutional reform firmly on the political agenda.
That reform process has helped keep questions about the future of the presidency alive, despite the clarity of the existing two-term limit.
Bio appeared keen in New York to separate those wider reforms from speculation about his own political future.
He also reached back to his military background to underline the point.
‘We keep our word,’ he said.
It was a short answer, but one with obvious political significance as attention begins to shift towards what comes after his presidency.
Attention turns to succession
Bio’s eventual departure will open a new chapter in a country where the last presidential election left deep political divisions.
The opposition All People’s Congress rejected the 2023 result, while its elected representatives initially stayed away from Parliament as the party challenged the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.
Africa Briefing reported on the tensions that followed the vote and the opposition’s refusal at the time to accept the declared outcome.
That makes the next transfer of presidential power more than a routine constitutional milestone.
Much of Bio’s Unstoppable Africa interview focused on investment, natural resources and Africa’s place in a changing global economy. But the closing question brought the conversation sharply back to Sierra Leone.
Asked directly about the third-term speculation, Bio chose a simple formulation.
There is a time limit, he said, and it will prevail.
