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Sierra Leone: Local Elections a Step Forward for Sierra Leone


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International Foundation for Election Systems (Washington, DC)

PRESS RELEASE
14 July 2008
Posted to the web 14 July 2008

Saturday, July 5, 2008, was unusually sunny as Sierra Leone held elections for local government offices. The opportunity was unique; local elections have only been held three times in over four decades. Although the process was not without shortcomings; in a year of electoral disasters in Africa (Kenya and Zimbabwe), Saturday's poll is a solid success for one of the world's least developed countries.

Election Day, itself, proved calm and peaceful throughout the country, with only minor isolated incidents reported. The Election Commission carefully updated the voter's roll before the election reducing the chance of disputes at the polling-station level. The rains that characterize this season relented; blessing Sierra Leone with a sunny Election Day.

Election officials count votes while party observers look on.

At stake were 475 local government seats in the country's 19 local councils. A total of 1,324 candidates participated, including 224 women. This represented significant increase in women's participation compared to previous elections and a step forward for Sierra Leone, which ranked dead last on the UNDP's Gender Development Index. Non-official results indicate the number of women candidates elected as councilors may nearly double.

The most worrying aspect of the electoral process by many observers was a series of withdrawals of (mainly independent) candidates, often accusing the major political parties of harassment and intimidation. Though more calm than last year's general elections, the run-up to local elections also saw some serious political disturbances, not least in diamond-rich Kono District. The Political Parties Registration Commission and the Sierra Leone Police worked to reduce conflicts where they occurred.

Preliminary indicators suggest turnout was lower than the 55 percent recorded in the 2004 elections, but these cannot be verified until official results are released beginning today, July 10, 2008. There may be several reasons for the low turnout, including voter fatigue after the two electoral events in 2007 and general disappointment with the performance of previous local councilors. The limited time between the presidential run-off elections in September 2007 and these elections also left little time for educating the electorate on the roles and functions of local councils, which could have inspired greater participation.

It is often said that one-election does not democracy make, but periodic genuine elections are Sine qua non for democratic governance. Thus, Saturday's peaceful and orderly poll was an important step forward in the recovery and development of a country in need of successes.

Dr. Magnus Ohman is IFES Country Director & Elections and Political Processes Advisor in Sierra Leone.

Relevant Links

West Africa
Sierra Leone

IFES' work in Sierra Leone is made possible with the generous support of USAID.


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