By Mabinty M. Kamara
As part of what they described as priority recommendations, the European Union-Election Observation Mission to Sierra Leone has called on the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) to publish results data by polling station, including results per candidate and per party, the number of registered voters and of valid and invalid votes, in a timely manner and in an easily trackable and downloadable database format in future elections.
The call is part of 21 recommendations proffered by the international election observer group in their final report on the June 2023 General Elections of Sierra Leone.
Presenting the report to the press yesterday at the Radisson Blu hotel in Freetown, the head of the elections Observation Group Elvin Incir said the 2023 polls underscored a clear commitment among Sierra Leoneans to the democratic processes, “while also highlighting the urgent need for reforms to enhance transparency and inclusion, and build overall trust in future electoral processes.” She also noted positive reforms from previous elections in order to promote women’s Political participation.
The recommendation follows a report by the observers that the ECSL did not publish online disaggregated results and turnout by polling station, “preventing voters, observers, and parties from comparing the result forms provided at polling station level with final results data and thus limiting stakeholders’ ability to verify and challenge the results,” the report reads in part.
It added that the Commission reported a total of one percent of all polling stations nationwide being excluded from the presidential count, “yet the specific polling stations that were excluded, their distribution per district or region, or the reasons for the exclusion of specific polling stations were not provided. The percentage of polling station results excluded from the parliamentary count per district ranged from 0.2 percent in Pujehun to 6.6 percent in Kailahun, per region, it ranged from 0.6 percent in the West to 4.4 percent in the North. For the parliamentary elections, neither the list of polling stations nor reasons for exclusion were published.”
The group also noted other procedural irregularities in the conduct of the elections and therefore recommended for the ECSL to establish and publish detailed procedures for the tabulation and announcement of results, as well as put in place a robust, transparent, and easily verifiable results processing system well ahead of election days.
“Announcement of results was not accompanied by prompt publication of results data, thus preventing independent scrutiny and eroding trust in the credibility of the elections. Partial results for the presidential elections were released on 26 June through a press release posted on the ECSL social media accounts. On 27 June, the ECSL Chairman formally announced the final results of the presidential race,” it stated.
The EU-EOM further recommended the enhancement of transparency and integrity of the elections by including in the results and reconciliation form, reconciliation between votes cast and the number of voters included in the final register of voters and added to the supplementary voters' list, and voters who received ballots as confirmed by signatures or thumbprints in the final register of voters.
It also called for the Publication of the final voter register per polling station and per polling center in a timely manner and allow voters to verify and make corrections.
Politico could not get the Communication Officers of ECSL to comment on the issues raised as at press time but the institution has in an earlier press statement noted that it accredited several election observations and that it waits for the final reports of the process from those groups.
However, it stated that the commission will consider recommendations from the observer missions that will add value to the electioneering processes, noting that their actions have all been guided by the law “All such actions of ECSL prior to, during and these post elections period have been strictly guided by national statutes and local and international best practices.”
ECSL emphasized that the declared results of the June 24 2023 elections reflected the expressed will of the voters.
The main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) had since the polls, boycotted all governance activities, claiming election irregularities.
However a mediation effort spearheaded by the Commonwealth and other bodies gets underway next week to end the political impasse.
Copyright (c) 2023 Politico (11/10/23)
