Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio is on track for reelection as the electoral commission reveals he has secured a significant lead with 60 percent of the votes counted. With 55.86 percent of the ballots cast, President Bio has surpassed the 55 percent threshold necessary for victory in the first round of voting on Saturday.
The incumbent president’s strong position is reinforced by his 1,067,666 votes, which put him well ahead of his main contender, Samura Kamara, who has 793,751 votes or 41.53 percent of the total count, according to the election commission’s report. Final results are expected to be announced within the next 48 hours, as stated by election commission chief, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh.
A total of 3.4 million people were registered to vote in Saturday’s highly anticipated election. Among the thirteen candidates running for president, President Bio’s primary challenger is Kamara of the All People’s Congress (APC). However, the president’s narrow victory over Kamara in a runoff during the 2018 election has positioned him as a formidable candidate.
President Bio, 59, who previously led a coup in the 1990s, has prioritized education and women’s rights during his first civilian term. His policies and initiatives in these areas have garnered significant support. In contrast, Kamara, 72, a former foreign and finance minister, is currently facing an extended trial over allegations of misappropriating public funds during his tenure as foreign minister. Kamara maintains that these charges are politically motivated.
Despite the overall peaceful nature of the election, security forces disrupted opposition supporters at the APC party headquarters in Freetown, resulting in violent clashes. While calm has been restored, one woman was tragically killed during the unrest. The APC spokesperson confirmed that she was a nurse working in the medical unit at the headquarters. Her son, Ibrahim Conteh, grief-stricken, demands justice for his mother’s death.
The police did not confirm the reported death but acknowledged using tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd, explaining that the demonstrators were disturbing public order. Witnesses, however, recount a scene akin to a horror film, with live rounds being fired and a sense of terror overwhelming the area. Reporters who visited the APC headquarters discovered bullet holes and bloodstains, providing evidence of the violent incident.
Hannah, a party secretary who faced the traumatic experience, recalls the events of that night. “People were dancing and celebrating outside. They were happy. All of a sudden, I heard shots and tear gas,” she says. “It was really traumatic… I cried.”
Sierra Leone, determined to maintain peace and stability, now awaits the final election results, which will be crucial in determining the course of the country’s future.
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