By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
In order to observe the pre and post-election environment of the June 24, 2023, Elections, a coalition of Civic and Non-Governmental Organizations, under the umbrella of National Elections Watch (NEW) has deployed Long-Term Observers (LTOs) across all 16 districts of Sierra Leone.
A Press Statement from NEW dated 8th May 2023 said the deployment is part of the organization’s 2023 election observation strategy to ensure a free, fair, and credible outcome of the polls.
It said the objective of the deployment of the LTOs is to assess the conditions that may impact the inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability of the electoral process.
NEW members of staff are to also document all election-related events before and after voting in order to objectively inform the citizens of the country and other interested stakeholders.
The information provided by the observers will help alert relevant stakeholders, and advocate for appropriate interventions, including electoral reforms post-elections.
It added that NEW will publicize all election-related developments in order to deter electoral malpractices and to encourage citizens’ participation in the political process.
The Election monitoring group is said to have trained and deployed 34 observers, two per district, for a period of 3 months which commences in May and ends in July of 2023. The training was conducted in Bo, Makeni, and Waterloo on the 3rd and 4th of May 2023.
The trainees were provided with checklists to collect data on the elections environment noting incidences, the work of Elections Management Bodies (EMBs), and other election stakeholders. The data collected from the observers will help to map out potential hotspot areas ahead of polling.
Also, five Zonal Coordinators, one per region, were recruited, trained, and deployed to add up to the long-term observers in the field. They are to coordinate the day-to-day work of the long-term observers by collating daily and weekly reports; cross-validating reported incidents and generating a national report.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (10/05/23)
