The Carter Centre has issued a report into general elections in Sierra Leone urging the two main parties to support peaceful and genuine process for a runoff vote scheduled for March 27.
The report by an expert observer team says the runoff will be a key test of whether the 2018 electoral process will be an important step forward in the country’s post-civil war history.
“This will require that a relatively peaceful environment be maintained throughout voting, the counting and reconciliation of ballots, and the announcement of credible final results, and that any disputes be resolved through established legal channels,” the Center said.
The March 7 did not give any candidate 55% of votes and a runoff is scheduled between leading parties: All Peoples Congress (APC) and Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP).
The report note “several violent incidents” in the final days of the campaign that have raised concern.
It also cites Sierra Leonean police’s failure to investigate campaign incidents and a raid on an opposition campaign headquarters on election day.
While claims of electoral irregularities in the first round have been raised by various parties, and a petition seeking injunctive relief has been filed with the Supreme Court, The Carter Center team is not aware of any concrete evidence that would call into question the results of the March 7 elections, it said.
