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President Bio re-elected to power in Sierra Leone
Africa: Sierra Leone
Primer on presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone
(June 24, 2023)
Presidential and parliamentary elections were set to be held in Sierra Leone on June 24, 2023. Incumbent President Julius Maada Bio, who won the last election held in 2018, was seeking a renewed mandate in 2023.
Note that in Sierra Leone, the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is elected by popular vote for a five-year term.
Also at stake would be the composition of the unicameral parliament where most members are directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, although 14 seats are filled in separate elections by non-partisan members of Parliament called "paramount chiefs.” Member of parliament serve five-year terms.
At the presidential level, the main contest would be between President Bio and his main rival, Samura Kamara. At the end of the voting contest, when the ballots were counted, it was incumbent President Bio who was declared to be the winner of Sierra Leone's presidential election with 56 percent of the vote share compared to 41 percent for Kamara. By getting over the 55 percent threshold, Bio was able to avoid a second round.
Meanwhile the opposition and its supporters have disputed the election result. Kamara and the
All People's Congress (APC), which he represented, alleged that his electoral agents were banned from verifying the ballot counting.
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