Neither ECSL Nor Political Parties Provided Evidence Of 2023 Election Result …Says US Ambassador
By Sahr Ibrahim Komba
The US Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryan David Hunt said that neither the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) nor political parties provided evidence of the 2023 election result. “This only paralyses the economy because there was no political reform in the country,” Ambassador Hunt said.
He made this statement at the two-day National Conference on Mobilising the Civil Society Community towards Genuine Electoral Reforms, peace and National Cohesion in Sierra Leone organised by the National Election Watch (NEW) at Shangri-La Hotel, Lumley.
He recounted the controversy after the 2023 multi-tier election in the country for which the main opposition All Peoples Congress refused to participate in the governance processes of the state which brought about economic setback, adding that the opposition participated after the involvement of development partners.
He continued that the non-participation of the opposition party in the governance processes contributed to parallelizing the economy of the state, and that there was no political reform as there was low level of trust among political leaders in the country.
He disclosed that the formation of the Tripartite was far from perfect as there was no Civil Society representation.
He mentioned that electoral challenges have been in the country since the end of the civil war, pointing that the recommendations from elections since 2000 to 2023 are identical and there is an urgent need to put an end to these challenges.
Revealing that the formation of the tripartite committee was politically compromised, he said that if the recommendations are implemented it will help to transform the political process of the country.
He urged the people to work with the government and the opposition in order to implement the report.
He concluded that there is an urgent need for political reforms in the country, adding that it can be achieved when citizens are allowed to participate in the process.
