By Alpha Daramy Sesay
Head of the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone (CCSL), Dr. Heiko Meinhardt has cited instances of what he says were irregularities in the just-concluded 17 November presidential, parliamentary and local council elections.
In a statement released on 21 November, the observer mission says “in two stations at Stella Maries polling centre in Freetown the CCSL international
observers detected blank pre- signed result sheets which were already signed by the presiding offices and party agents at about 3pm.”
He continued that on Monday 19 November their observers at the national electoral commission (NEC) tallying centre at Wellington were denied their right to observe the entering of results into the computer systems.
“This was based on an order by the NEC chair [Dr. Christiana Thorpe] herself who seemed to have acted without the consent of NEC’s UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] support staff when she enforced a boundary which made it impossible for them to observe the entering of results into the computers,” Dr. Meinhardt said adding that after the CCSL international observers insisted to observe the process the boundary was eventually removed.
The organisation however appreciated the professional and efficiency accorded to the process, and advised NEC that in releasing the results some balance
must be maintained and the tendency to build false expectations be avoided.
When called up by Politico, chief of outreach at NEC, Albert Massaquoi, said they would not give any detailed comment on such allegations, save to say they were not sure whether CCSL or any other observer missions were prevented from monitoring the process.
He referred to CCSL’s observation as speculations.
“I have not seen the statement of CCSL, I will respond adequately when I see it,” he promised.
© Politico 29/11/2012
