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☆ Sierra Leone's main opposition party demands rerun of general election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Umaru Fofana | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, July 1 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party said it had decided to formally reject the results of the national election won by President Julius Maada Bio, citing "glaring irregularities", and called for a rerun of the June 24 poll. Bio was re-elected for a second term with 56% of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off against main rival Samura Kamara of the opposition All People's Congress (APC). But Kamara has questioned the official tally, while European election observers noted statistical inconsistencies. In its first official statement on the full results, the APC said on Friday it rejected the outcome "given the glaring irregularities and violations of established electoral procedures." "A rerun after an official declaration of results and a swearing-in ceremony is unconstitutional," he said by phone to Reuters.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Swaray, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: People's Congress, Reuters, EU, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, United States, Britain, Ireland, Germany, France

☆ Sierra Leone main opposition party rejects partial presidential poll results
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FREETOWN, June 27 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party has rejected the partial results of a tense presidential election that showed President Julius Maada Bio leading the poll, alleging irregularities in the tallying process. The All People's Congress (APC) party's main candidate Samura Kamara, 72, is the incumbent's main rival. A provisional results sheet on Monday showed Kamara trailing behind Bio with just under 800,000 votes, compared to over 1 million for the president. [1/2]Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to remain peaceful.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Cooper, Sierra Leone, Umaru, Sofia Christensen, Christina Fincher Organizations: Congress, party's, All, REUTERS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sierra

CNN —Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio has been reelected for a second term in office, the country’s electoral commission announced Tuesday. Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won nearly 1.6 million votes – 56.1% of the total ballots – to defeat his closest opponent, Samura Kamara of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, who won a 41% share of the vote. Bio took an early lead on Monday, according to provisional results released by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). But the tallying of votes was fraught with controversies with international observers expressing concern about the integrity of the process. The APC party has yet to react to the final declared results.

Persons: Maada, Bio’s Sierra, Samura Kamara, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s Congress, Electoral, Sierra Leone, “ Carter Center, APC

CNN —Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio has taken an early lead in the country’s presidential election, provisional results showed. The election is considered a two-horse race between President Bio, 59, of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and 72-year-old former cabinet minister Samura Kamara, who leads the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party. Bio has so far polled more than a million votes and currently leads Kamara with over 200,000 votes, according to ECSL. Earlier, Bio’s SLPP party said it was “greatly anticipating a landslide victory” following an internal review of its performance in the elections. Hundreds of supporters of the opposition party, APC, hold up signs calling for the Chief electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, to step down after allegations of electoral fraud.

Persons: Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, ECSL, Bio’s, Mohamed Konneh, John Wessels, Yvonne Aki, Sawyerr, “ Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s Congress, Getty, APC Party Locations: Freetown

☆ Sierra Leone's President Bio leads presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FREETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is leading the presidential election count, the West African country's electoral commission said on Monday after 60% of votes have been counted. His biggest rival is All People's Congress' (APC) candidate Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. A provisional results sheet showed Bio had received over 1 million votes so far, compared with just under 800,000 for Kamara. The election commission on Sunday outlined several instances where officials were beaten or intimidated. Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to keep the peace.

Persons: Julius Maada, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Sierra, Augustine Sorie, hasn't, Marrah, Cooper Inveen, Anait Miridzhanian, Estelle Shirbon, Bate Felix, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Sierra, African, APC, Electoral Commission Sierra, Reuters, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Electoral Commission Sierra Leone

☆ Woman unresponsive after gunshots heard at Sierra Leone opposition HQ
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Cooper Inveen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The window of the room she was found in had a shattered hole the size of a fist, the reporter said. It is not immediately clear what happened outside the press conference or how the woman was wounded. Two witnesses caught inside the building, who were later released by security forces, told Reuters they heard gunfire and saw tear gas. The police and security forces did not respond to a request for comment. Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters before the election, while the APC's recent questioning of the independence of election officials raised tensions.

Persons: Samura Kamara, Julius Maada, Sidi Yaya Tunis, Bio's, Kamara, Cooper Inveen, Edward McAllister, Philippa Fletcher, Chris Reese, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Congress, APC, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN

[1/6] Ballots are displayed at a polling station, after polls closed, on the day of the national election, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, June 24, 2023. The race is expected to be close between the incumbent and the All People's Congress' (APC) Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018. The main opposition APC also said their election representatives were attacked and intimidated in three districts, highlighting the tense backdrop to the vote. Inflation soared to its highest level in over 20 years in 2022, while the national Leone currency slumped 60% in value. Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters ahead of election day, while the APC's recent questioning of the independence of election officials has raised tensions.

Persons: Cooper Inveen, Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio's, Samura Kamara, Abu Koroma, We've, Kandeh Yumkella, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Kamara, Alessandra Prentice, Angus MacSwan, Ros Russell, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Provisional, APC, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, FREETOWN, Sierra, Leone, Ukraine

☆ Sierra Leone opposition leader decries lack of access ahead of Saturday's vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Supporters of Sierra Leone's opposition leader and presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC) party, Dr. Samura Kamara, wipe rain drops from his campaign poster in Freetown, Sierra Leone June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Cooper InveenFREETOWN, June 23 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone's main opposition candidate said on Friday the lack of election campaign access to some strongholds of the ruling party and unsupervised distribution of ballots could open the door to rigging. "Our biggest concern going into this election is the lack of access of the opposition party to the southeastern part of the country, and we're talking about seven districts," Kamara said in an interview on Friday. "So that makes a worrying situation where you're opening a door, you're opening a window, even if you're not doing so, you're opening a window for great suspicions of rigging," Kamara said. Asked if he'll accept the outcome of Saturday's vote, Kamara said, "It's not me.

Persons: Sierra, Samura Kamara, Cooper Inveen, Julius Maada, Kamara, he'll, Bate Felix, Richard Chang Organizations: All, Congress, REUTERS, People's Congress, Thomson Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, Cooper Inveen FREETOWN, West

☆ Sierra Leone : Tensions mount ahead of high-stakes elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Sierra Leone is gearing up for crucial presidential elections on Saturday amid growing discontent and calls for change from its citizens. Sierra Leone has also faced devastating epidemics, including Ebola in 2014 and the Covid pandemic. President of Sierra Leone and Leader of Sierra Leone People's party (SLPP), Julius Maada Bio, addresses his supporters during his final campaign rally in Freetown John Wessels/AFP/Getty ImagesTwelve candidates are challenging Maada Bio, 59, in the general election, including the leader of the opposition ‘All People Congress’ (APC) party, Samura Kamara. ‘The people are tired’The mood in the country is tense as the country prepares for the high-stakes elections. Sierra Leoneans are concerned about several issues, including economic management, food shortages, healthcare services, infrastructure development, and education.

Persons: Julius Maada, Freetown John Wessels, Samura Kamara, Kamara, ‘, Mohamed Konneh, John Wessels, Sierra Leoneans, ”, Aminata Fanta Koroma, Kadira Rodhe Kamara, Bio, Ishmael Beah, ” Beah Organizations: CNN —, Getty, Congress, Police, European Union, International Monetary Fund, CNN Locations: CNN — Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone, Freetown John, Freetown, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Germany, France, Sierra

☆ Sierra Leone opposition calls for election chief to resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Samura Kamara, head of the All People's Congress (APC) party, said he wanted the chief electoral commissioner and all regional commissioners of the national election body to be replaced by "an independent internationally accredited team". "The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is gravely concerned about the deliberate attempts by the All People's Congress to disrupt the peaceful elections and reverse the democratic gains Sierra Leone has made," it said in a statement on Thursday. Sierra Leone's chief electoral commissioner Mohamed Kenewui Konneh also rejected Kamara's accusations and said none of his team would resign. Kamara said that if the officials did not resign within 72 hours, the APC party would meet and "decide the next steps". On Tuesday, dozens of young people were arrested following opposition protests in several cities calling for the electoral commissioner to resign, local media reported.

Persons: Leone's, Samura Kamara, Kamara, Julius Maada, Bio's, Sierra, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, Umaru Fofana, Cooper Inveen, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Congress, Reuters, Sierra Leone People's Party, All, Sierra, Sierra Leone's, Thomson Locations: FREETOWN, Sierra

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