Sierra Leone presidential run-off to go ahead as planned – Court

A high court judge has ruled that Sierra Leone’s presidential run-off vote will go ahead as planned on Tuesday, lifting an interim injunction after fraud allegations.

Voters had been awaiting Monday’s ruling after a high court in the capital Freetown on Saturday temporarily paused the vote due to fraud claims by a member of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC).

The run-off will see opposition candidate Julius Maada Bio face off against ruling party candidate Samura Kamara.

Leaders of 27 civil society organizations issued a statement that condemned the ruling, saying it was a ploy by the APC to manipulate the election.

Bio called the injunction a delaying tactic by the ruling party that endangered “the peace and stability of our country.”

In the election earlier in March, Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won a razor-thin victory, gaining 43.3 per cent of the vote, compared to his rival Kamara’s 42.7 per cent.

A run-off election was set for March 27, as no candidate reached the 55 per cent of the votes needed to win outright.

The March 7 polls were the poverty-stricken West African nation’s first general election since it emerged from two major crises: a 2014-16 Ebola outbreak that killed almost 4,000 people and deadly mudslides that buried hundreds of people in 2017.

Incumbent Ernest Bai Koroma is bowing out after serving two five-year terms in office – the constitutional limit – but was also dogged by claims of corruption and mismanagement from the opposition.

NAN reports that earlier, the ECOWAS Commission experienced concern over the interim injunction issued by the Court on Saturday, restraining the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from proceeding with preparations for the Tuesday Presidential run-off election.

A statement issued by Mr Paul Ejime, the Spokesman of ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commission (ECONEC) and a member of the ECOWAS observer Mission, made this known in Freetown.

The commission noted that the on-going electoral process up to the time of the announcement of results of the March 7 general elections had been generally peaceful apart from minor incidents.

The commission appealed for calm and stress the need for Sierra Leoneans, all political actors and stakeholders to remain law abiding, and allow NEC to carry out its constitutional mandate.

It further enjoined all government institutions to assume their full responsibilities and ensure respect for the rule of law.

It also charged security agencies to ensure the protection of lives and property.