Connect with us

Africa

Voting for new president underway in Sierra Leone

Published

on

2023 Polls: Sierra Leoneans elect new president

A woman votes in the ongoing election in Sierra Leone

Voting is under way in Sierra Leone, where more than three million people are eligible to choose a new president, parliament and local councillors.

In the capital, Freetown, long queues could be seen at polling stations even before dawn.



President Ernest Bai Koroma is stepping down after serving two five-year terms.

His chosen successor, Samura Kamara, is being challenged by 15 other candidates – many of them promising to tackle endemic corruption and poverty.

Advertisement

READ: Don’t sign Neighbourhood Safety Corps bill into law, Uchendu tells Wike

Mr Kamara of the All Peoples Congress (APC) is one of three frontrunners – the others being Julius Maada Woni of Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and Kandeh Yumkella of National Grand Coalition (NGC).

One of the greatest challenges for the new leader will be to reconstruct a healthcare system following the huge Ebola outbreak in 2014 that killed nearly 4,000 people.

Only 200 doctors serve a country of seven million people.

Advertisement

The Commonwealth’s chief election observer, former Ghanaian President John Mahama, told the BBC there were signs it would be peaceful:

“People are going about their business. They don’t have that anxiety or fear that there’s going to be any explosion taking place”.

He added that if “everybody plays their part” they will be one step closer to “consolidating democracy in Sierra Leone”.

Mr Mahama said that candidates had signed a peace pledge in the run-up to the election.

Advertisement

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 ChronicleNG

Discover more from Chronicle.ng

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading