Sierra Leone: National Electoral Watch Calls On Electoral Commission To Release Date For 2018 Elections

The National Election Watch (NEW) yesterday issued a press statement calling on the National Electoral Commission (NEC) “to declare by proclamation the specific date the elections will be conducted in February 2018.”

The statement which was issued at a press conference at NEW’s  head office in Freetown, states, the “call underscores the fact that the date for the elections has implications for would be aspirants in public office.”

Reading the statement NEW’s Chairperson Marcella Samba-Sesay said, “by law for anyone to contest the election as member of parliament such a person if paid from the consolidated fund must resign his or her employment twelve (12) months before Election day.

NEW is equally concerned that the undue delay in pronouncing the actual election date does not create a level playing field in the electoral arena, since the Chief Electoral Commissioner in consultation with the president sets the date. [Also] urges that this important phase is completed and the date declared without further delay.”

However, NEW commends NEC for the transparent manner in which they have conducted activities leading to the elections so far including the boundary delimitation exercise for which Boundary Delimitation Monitoring Committees were set up at national as well as district levels with composition from other Election Management Bodies, election stake holders and civil society representatives.

Nonetheless the statement notes, “NEW is however concerned that the electoral calendar is under potential threat of not been respected due to government’s current engagement with re-districting that is dividing districts and creating new districts. This action has serious implications for the electoral calendar and will nullify the work done on the boundary delimitation so far; it would mean re-doing the exercise all over again,” the statement cautioned.
Also noting that “the cost implication by no means speaks to the current economic situation where austerity measures have imposed so much suffering on the people of this country. The time involved in re-doing the boundary delimitation will also require a new electoral calendar that will undermine the constitution of this country.”

Furthermore, NEW calls “for the appointment of a substantive chairman for the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) as this must be addressed immediately. NEW wishes to restate the important role of the PPRC as the Institution responsible for registering and regulating the conduct of political Parties and their supporters; [and] also mediate intra and inter party conflicts to ensure political tolerance and a violent- free election.”

The press release further states that though NEW is happy that NEC is now taking the lead in the development of the voters register and their participation in the ongoing recruitment process of registration staff for the 2018 elections, however too much conflicting information on the process have gone out to the public.

Therefore NEW urges NEC to immediately engage in a rigorous civic education campaign so that citizens are not disenfranchised because they could not get the correct information on the voter registration exercise. NEW also notes with concern the continuing shift of the registration date, moving from October 2016 to December 2016 and now to February 2017.
“This signals an indication of unpreparedness and therefore NEW calls on government who has taken 100% responsibility to fund the exercise, to honour this commitment in order to ensure the voter registration is done in time respecting the constitutional provision,” the release states.

“NEW would like the public to know that its electoral observation effort is to add value to the entire electoral cycle through activities that allow for greater participation of citizens in the process to ensure citizens’ ownership and confidence. As a way to engage with the entire electoral cycle activities in an organized and focused manner, NEW is in the process of developing a consultative 2017 -2021 Strategic Plan. A national consultative meeting has been held bringing together representation from all 14 electoral districts with participants drawn from NEC, PPRC, Office of National Security (ONS), Sierra Leone Police(SLP), National Commission for Democracy (NCD),Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone (HRCSL), All peoples Congress (APC), Sierra Leone Peoples Party SLPP),All Political Party Women’s Association (APPWA), All Political Party Youth Association (APPYA), NEW membership and other civil society organizations,” the press statement reveals.
NEW appreciates the European Delegation in Sierra Leone for providing funds to support NEW in positioning itself to meaningfully engage with the 2018 electoral process.

Culled Awoko