Sierra Leone Telegraph: 26 June 2019:
Last Thursday, 20 June 2019, Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Commission (NEC), presented its Annual Report to President Julius Maada Bio, which included updates on ongoing preparations for all forthcoming elections to be conducted in the country.
Chief Electoral Commissioner, Nfa Alie Conteh, said that it was mandatory and constitutional for the Commission to present its annual report to the President.
“Your Excellency, Section 32 (12) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone Act No. 6 of 1991 states that the Chief Electoral Commissioner shall submit a report on the programme and work of the Electoral Commission at least once a year to the President and a copy of such report shall be laid before parliament,” he said.
Nfa Alie Conteh – who served as the Chairperson and National Returning Officer for the 2018 elections, said that the report included accounts of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council elections throughout the country with 132 constituencies, 446 wards, a Presidential runoff and 9 Paramount Chief Members of Parliament elections.
“Your Excellency Sir, the aforementioned Elections were noteworthy as the first to be conducted since the rebirth of multi-party democracy in 1996 without the supervision of the United Nations Mission under a Security Council mandate,” Nfa Alie Conteh informed the president.
He also spoke about his invitation by ECOWAS to lead a fact-finding mission from the 1-15 November 2018 for the Nigerian Presidential and other Elections held in February and March of 2019.
In his response, President Julius Maada Bio thanked the leadership of NEC and said that democracy in Sierra Leone depends on the progress and work of the Commission.
“I am happy that we now have the intellectual capacity to conduct our elections without any foreign involvement, particularly when it was described by the international community as being free and fair.
“The job is very difficult and it is not pleasant to do. Thank you for fulfilling your constitutional mandate by compiling this report, despite all the challenges and difficulties attached to the work,” said the president.
The President also stated that the country should agree on acceptable rules for the conduct of elections in the country, maintaining that such rules, which would ease the tensions, should be within the confines of the laws of the land.
Mr. Sahr Matturi, I quite agree with your request to H. E. to I quote ‘to drop the hammer…………….were true’ but sadly failed to suggest otherwise what would H. E. do if the allegations against the NEC Boss were unfounded. Shall I suggest a compensation both in cash and in kind for exonerating him?
Handing over the report is one thing. What the President decides to do with it is another. It is just smiling faces around the President. NICE! But I believe that the President will look at the report carefully and try to facilitate the review of both our electoral and political system. It is broken and it needs fixing as soon as possible.
Although the President thanked the NEC leadership for their work, he must also try to facilitate and investigate the allegations that were made against the NEC under the leadership of the present NEC strong GENTLEMAN, by some of the political parties. The President must not hesitate to drop the hammer if the allegations made against the NEC strong GENTLEMAN were true.
I hope that the President listens. GOD BLESS President Bio to FIX our broken POLITICAL SYSTEM. AMEN AND AMEN.
Thanks, continue to do the best that will/would bring about the progress of Sierra Leone. Don’t listen to people who are not ready to move Sierra Leone further.