By politico staff writer
As part of many institutions that monitored the just concluded multi-tier elections in Sierra Leone, the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) observed that unverified and fake pronouncements of election results were prevalent on social media especially Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp, mostly by either the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) or the All Peoples Congress (APC) party supporters and sympathizers.
The Group made its observation in the Media Situation Room Report for Tuesday 27th June 2023 post-election day analysis.
It explained of reports about certain people facing challenges in understanding the first 60% of tallied polling stations results that were read out by the Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC), Mohamed Konneh on Monday 26th June 2023. The Group’s monitors’ report of Tuesday 27th June 2023 captured the speculations and counter-speculations after the announcement of the 60% of results from the five Regional Tallying centres.
The MRCG’s report observed that some quarters of the main opposition APC party have questioned the authenticity of the first tallied 60% pronounced by ECSL. It said others believe that the APC will emerge victorious when the remaining 40% would have been announced, which proved contrary to their belief.
It also observed that members of the SLPP were forecasting what they see as “a resounding victory” and five more years in governance for President Julius Maada Bio, and that all speculations happened before the final results were announced by the CEC. It also stated that some sections of the media
projected and made calculations that the elections would end in a run-off situation.
The Group’s report further received information about some unrest at Masiaka with a video circulated on social media showing some angry youths mounting roadblocks, saying no vehicles would be allowed to ply the routes. The report stated that the video showed one youth that was believed to have been shot dead.
It was reported that teargas was used to disperse what was seen as some illegal gathering and that the incident involving youths at Masiaka may not be unconnected with the announcement of the 60% of the first tallied polling stations by ECSL.
The MRCGs post-elections report from its Media Situation Room for Wednesday 28th June, 2023 noted that as Muslims observed the Feast of Eid ul Adha throughout the country; Radio and Television stations provided more coverage of the activities marking the feast day; than for the post-declaration of the Presidential Results and that Newspapers on the other hand did not make it to the newsstands.
It also observed that the African Young Voices (AYV) TV; however, ran a post-elections programme and the panelists observed the need for peace and reconciliation after the elections; as well as pursuing the legal approach for addressing grievances. It further observed that Social media was also awash with comments and arguments regarding the outcome of the Presidential Elections and in the hours after the final announcement of results was pronounced, and Julius Maada Bio declared the winner; APC’s Samura Kamara published on Facebook and Twitter that the results lack authenticity and transparency, citing irregularities on the part of Sierra Leone’s Electoral Commission.
On other Social media fora; WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok, the MRCG situation room report observed that APC supporters and sympathizers held the view that the result was not a reflection of what they referred to as ‘the people’s will’ while the SLPP supporters however accepted the ECSL’s pronouncement. It also observed that some members of the SLPP remain in a jubilant mood to the extent of targeting APC members with provocative and inciting messages.
It said that videos were also circulating on social media, mostly shared by APC faithful, alleging that some of their supporters were being harassed and chased out of their abode. It also said that the Office of National Security (ONS); however in a Press Release debunked the allegations and described the videos being circulated, as ‘very old events’ and urged the public to ignore them.
However, later on, Tuesday 27th June 2023, ECSL declared Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP as a winner of the June 24th elections, having polled 1,566,932 (one million, five hundred and sixty-six thousand, nine hundred and thirty-two) which represents 56.17% of valid votes, defeating his main challenger, Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara (Ph.D.) of the APC who polled1,148,262 (one million one hundred and forty-eight thousand, two hundred and sixty-two) which represents 41.16% of valid votes.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (30/06/23)
