By Alpha Abu
Members of the All Political Parties Association (APPA) have questioned the 11. 9% per total district votes that a party must have under the Proportional Representation System of voting in this year’s election to ensure Parliamentary and Local Council seats. This was among a series of concerns raised in a statement released by APPA during a Press Conference at The Brookfields Hotel, Freetown yesterday.
The statement said APPA supported the District Block system but would want a review of the threshold that the association said should be in conformity with international best practices. The regulation that prohibits political parties who cannot fulfil payment of all candidature fees based on the allocated seats to a district for both parliament and local councils was also frowned upon by APPA, unlike past elections in which most parties reportedly paid for only areas or seats they were presumed to wield strong support.
Also of concern to APPA is the non-provision of central government subvention to political parties after the Sierra Leone Parliament expunged from the Political Parties Regulation Commission Bill a section that solicited the provision of subvention for parties.
“APPA SL sees the rejection of subvention for political parties by parliament as a major barrier that may undermine the spirit behind the creation of the Sierra Leone 1991 constitution that established the role of political parties in shaping the political will of the people, to disseminate information on political ideas, and social and economic programmes of national character’’, the statement reads in part.
The statement also drew reference to what it said was a 2018 recommendation by an Elections Observer Mission (EOM) in Sierra Leone that government should consider subvention for political parties “for them to be able to serve as viable and credible institutions as they seek to contribute to the future of democracy and good governance in Sierra Leone’’.
APPA recommended that the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) should consider further discussions on the restrictions presently facing parties who cannot fulfil payment of all candidature fees based on the allotted seats per district for parliament or local council.
The statement also mentioned what it claimed was the “distinct prejudice’’ of the EU Head of Delegation Manuel Muller over his conduct and utterances, and also a report last year by the EU, some aspects which it says were not reflective of the situation on the ground.
APPA Chairman Prince Coker later told journalists that they want inclusivity for all parties as demanded in a democracy.
The leadership of APPA had some time ago openly declared support for the Proportional Representation System of voting in the June polls. Some other parties including the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) had disengaged from APPA to form an alliance named Coalition of Political Parties (COPP) that was opposed to that system of voting.
APPA consists of some 11 parties in the country.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (24/03/23)
