BY Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The PAN African Women Projects (PAWP) has called on the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) to improve the recruitment of Adhoc Staff for the next multi-tier elections in Sierra Leone.
PAWP made this call in a press briefing held at the Atlantic Hotel, Lumley Beach Road in Freetown on the 29th June, 2023 after observing the just concluded general elections in the country.
The organisation’s press statement read by the Head of Mission for the Sierra Leone elections, Dr. (Mrs.) Eno Ben Udensi says many electoral officials that took part in the electioneering process did not wear their tags for proper identification at some polling stations visited.
Many ECSL workers at polling stations were poor in communicating especially in polling stations where materials arrived late, creating tension, the organisation stated.
PAWP observed huge crowd turnout early in many polling stations that it says should have been addressed to reduce unnecessary tension and confusion but also noticed the arrival of voting materials at various polling stations in the Eastern, Northern and Southern regions early between the hours of 7:30 am –9: 00 am.
But materials in the Western region arrived late between the hours of 10: 45am and 12:00 noon making the voters agitated with some elderly people having to leave without casting their votes, the organization explained.
The PAN African Group also observed that despite the rains, at every polling station visited, they saw a huge voter turnout which it said showed the desire of the electorate in electing a leader of their choice.
It observed relative peace across the country during polling except for what it said were a few pockets of violence and intimidation recorded mostly in the Northern region of the country. PAWP applauded the security agencies for their role in stepping up security and surveillance before, during, and after the elections in the country.
“During our engagement on the field on election day, we observed their professionalism at all polling stations we visited which eased a lot of unrest,” the organization went on.
It observed a long time spent collating and tallying data before the announcement of results, saying an election that had a total of 2,789,808 (two million, seven hundred and eighty-nine thousand, eight hundred and eight) valid votes cast should have been announced in less than 48 hours if more modern technology is in place.
Delay in the announcement of the result as they observed generated tension and even questioned the credibility of the electoral body by the electorate, PAWP claimed.
It acknowledged the 30 percent affirmative action plan of the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Act of 2022 that was assented into law as a stepping stone for women's empowerment and leadership opportunities in Sierra Leone which will promote good governance in the country.
It also applauded and gave credence to the government and people of Sierra Leone for the Act, noting that there will be more women in parliament and local councils in this new democratic calendar.
It stated that the 2023 Sierra Leone General elections will indeed have regional implications for West Africa, as successful elections within the coastal region can provide a positive electoral template in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. It recalled that since 2020, the West African region has faced democratic backsliding, with the ECOWAS governments of Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso toppled by military juntas.
It went on to state that a successful election in Sierra Leone could counter negative perceptions of governance within the ECOWAS region and those successful elections in the country will also set a positive example for the African continent in general as it will promote social and economic development in the continent.
PAWP in the statement said that lessons learned in this election will translate largely to the peace of the nations in Africa.
PAWP is an international non-governmental organization of African women from 54 (fifty-four) nations of Africa and the Diaspora. Its primary mission amongst others is to promote good governance and sustainable democracy in Africa through developmental projects for women, youths, and persons with disabilities.
It is one of the foreign Observer missions accredited by ECSL for the 2023 P General Elections in the country.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (30/06/23)
