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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Nov 2012 : 21:51:55
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GAMBIA CAN LEARN FROM SIERRA LEONE ELECTIONS IN THIS FOROYAA NEWS;
By Suwaibou Touray.
Foroyaa: Published on Monday, 26 November 2012
Suwaibou Touray In Sierra Leone
Prior to the November 2012 elections, The United Nations envoy to Sierra Leone has called for upcoming elections to be peaceful and democratic. The envoy's statement comes amid concerns that the voting in November could spark violence, a decade after Sierra Leone emerged from civil war.
Sierra Leone's presidential, parliamentary and local elections would be what the United Nations calls a "crucial test" for the country as it continues to rebuild following a brutal civil war that ended in 2002.
The U.N. executive representative to Sierra Leone, Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, called on political actors to stick to their pledge, signed on May 18, to hold free, fair and peaceful elections.
The Security Council announced Tuesday it would extend its peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone through March 2013.
Participants at Tuesday's meeting before the Security Council in New York said despite risks, the elections also are an opportunity to solidify peace.
Sierra Leone's permanent representative to the U.N., Shekou M. Touray urged continued vigilance to maintain the peace.
Current President Ernest Bai Koroma was seeking a second term in office. He has been praised for reinforcing stability and economic growth since his election in 2007. The president has faced stiff competition from former military leader Julius Maada Bio.
THE RESULTS
The elections in Sierra Leone is now history. The people have spoken and peace reigns in the West African country, given mandate to Ernest Bai Koroma to lead Sierra Leone, earning 58% of the total votes cast. This is the first elections solely organised by Sierra Leone since the Civil War without the supervision of any external body. 7 political parties took part in this elections,ie. APC,CDP,NBA,PDP,PMDC and SLPP and RUFP.
Observation has shown that the security forces have exercised impartiality in their conduct during elections. Polls opened at 7AM and closed at 5PM.
ECOWAS has supported Sierra Leone with 1 million dollars and Nigeria had donated 28 brand new pckup vehicles to the electoral commission. Independent Media is divided in supporting the candidates and parties. The national media SLBC, according to some observers is slightly bias in favour of the ruling party and its candidates. However all parties had substantial access and state funding.
The country is inundated with international election observers representing ECOWAS, CARTER CENTER, AU, EU, WWEOM, The Commonwealth, etc as well as internal observers like the WOMEN'S SITUATION ROOM etc.
The main threat to the elections was the US$25,000 Dollars nomination fees for each candidate which was rejected by the opposition and suspended after negotiations at least for this elections. This is the first time also that the Biometric system of registration was conducted in the country.
The National Election Commission in Sierra Leone, with a committed no- nonsense Chairperson, had put in place stringent rules and penalties for violators of those rules. The NEC has the power to enforce the rules, order for the arrest of any suspected offender/s,and prosecute the offenders through the law courts.
The National Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone has put in place stiff election rules and vowed to implement them to the latter and below are some electoral offences and their penalties:
PEA 2012 OFFENCE Penalty
114&121- Improper practice by electoral Officers -5 Million + 1 yr jail sentence, Barred from public office for 10 year
117&121 - Interference: Prevent, obstruct, disturb any election by force, violence, or threat; that is 2 years in jail
118&121 - Undue influence -3 Million +or 1 year jail term and barred from standing, registering & voting for 5 yrs.
119&121 - Personation: use another's name or try to use, another person's name or double votes or attempt to pose as an Elections Officer while you are not, that is 6 months jail. Barred from standing, registering & voting for 5 yrs.
120: Bribery - 5 Million +, or 2 yr jail. Barred from Standing, registering & voting for 5 yrs.
123: Remove, destroy, conceal, mutilate or assist in doing such or snatch or unlawfully interfere with election- 5+ years jail
124: without authority print, manufacture or supply election materials- 10 Million + or 5 +years in jail
125: At a public election meeting, without authority act or incite another to act disorderly to prevent or interfere with such meeting or hold weapon or missile -10 million + or 2 year jail. Barred from voting for 5 years
127: Directly or indirectly, prevent by force or threat or manipulation campaign meetings or processions or demonstration or voter education by NEC or a politician from campaigning in an area or campaign on another party's or candidate 's schedule -20 Million + or 5 years+ in jail
131: On Election Day campaign, prevent one from voting, shout election slogans, hold an offensive weapon or missile ,dress to intimidate others, display party symbol, loiter after voting or after being refused to vote, snatch or destroy any election material, unlawfully blares a siren, hold meetings during elections near polling or similar stations- 1 Million + or 6 months+
132: Without authority use computer to access program, or data relating an election-2 years+ in jail
Sierra Leone has a a permanent Electoral Offences Court, the Public Elections Act 2012,PEA 2012, now in force also makes provision for election offences to be tried in a special court called the Election Offences Court (EOC). This law has been signed by the President who ascented to it on the 7 May 2012. The PEA 2012 covers 26 sets of elections offences such as: Offences relating to registration; nomination; wrongful voting; improper practices by electoral officers; Undue influence, disorderly conduct at elections and interference with campaigning. The Court runs for one year to address offences which take place during the election period. Hearings would take place at 6 locations: 3 in Freetown and 3 in the provinces -Bo, Kenema and Makeni. Anyone found violating these rules would be arrested, prosecuted and if found guilty, pay a fine and or go to jail.
Under the new elections Act, all relevant electoral laws are consolidated into one document. The NEC is a corporate body meaning that it can sue and be sued in its own name rather than as a government entity.
According to the PEA 2012, Election Period starts from the time of declaration of the date of election to the time when the results are announced and published in a Government Notice.
The NEC can invalidate an election result where there is over-voting. It can also decide how much a candidate must pay as nomination fee. A person can register to vote if he/she is 18 years of age or would be 18 years on the day of election.
THE REACTIONS OF THE OBSERVERS
The EU observers praise Sierra Leone's elections as peaceful and well-organized, though they expressed concern about post-election unrest as the country's National Electoral Commission was still tallying up the results from Saturday's presidential, parliamentary and local elections.
Richard Howitt,the chief of the European Union election observer mission,, said the voting Saturday had gone smoothly.
"We describe this election as being a well-conducted election, it is conducive to democratic consolidation, that has occurred on an unlevel playing field but in a largely peaceful atmosphere", he said. Howitt said he hopes there would be peaceful acceptance of the results.
The ECOWAS that sent 150 observers, including delegations drawn from the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, West African Ambassadors accredited to Abuja, and the community Parliament and Court of Justice, also includes Civil Society Organisations, and the Media, led by Air Vice Marshall Christian Edem Dovlo, Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Centre(KAIPTC), said in their preliminary statement that besides the deficiencies noted, the ECOWAS Observer Mission is of the view that there were no major irregularities and incidents of violence, capable of undermining the intergrity of the process. It estimated that on the whole, the elections of 17th November, 2012 were conducted under aceptable conditions of freedom of voters and transparency of the process.
The Women's Situation Room comprising different women organisations in Sierra Leone headed by Haja Hilary Cole, in their preliminary statement said they have witnessed many incidents many of which were sorted out. She also said despite some anomalies, the elections has passed off peacefully and that all those who wished to participate had taken part and they are of the view that the results would be the will of the Sierra Leonean people.
During the presentation of the preliminary statement, Mr. Suwaibou Touray of the Foroyaa Newspaper in the Gambia informed the SITUATION ROOM Observers that he was concerned about an observation he made where different Presiding Officers apply the law differently,ie. That in a particular polling station, voters that have national documents like passport, driving licence etc were allowed to vote but in the rest of the polling stations he went to only those with voting cards and are registered in that polling station were allowed to vote. He asked whether the Situation Room has come across such a practice and if so, what advice would they give to the elections authorities on the issue.
Haja Hilary Cole said they came across 50 voters that were sent away in one polling station and another 200 that were denied the opportunity to cast their votes in many areas but said due to their intervention, they were allowed to vote. She said they would continue to engage with the authorities to improve the situation.
THE REACTION OF THE PARTIES TO TE RESULTS
Incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma faced eight challengers. The main opposition candidate, Julius Maada Bio, said Monday that his party had evidence of "rampant ballot stuffing."
The ruling All People's Congress party said the allegation was "fabricated."
These are the third elections since the end of Sierra Leone's civil war a decade ago.
The National Election Commission has 10 days to announce the final results.
If none of the nine presidential candidates Won 55 percent of the vote, a run-off would have been held on December 8, but according to the results announced on Friday 23rd November, the incumbent Ernest Bai Koroma wins an outright majority of 58% of the total votes cast.
The opposition Sierra Leone People's Party stopped short of outright rejection of election results and has demanded a recount. The results showed Mr. Koroma winning a second term with nearly 59 percent of the vote. SLPP candidate Julius Maada Bio, a former military junta leader, finished second with just more than 37 percent.
Sourec: Foroyaa
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Edited by - kobo on 26 Nov 2012 22:40:13 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11662 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2012 : 13:08:14
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A story from AP Mobile:
Sierra Leone opposition orders boycott
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) - Sierra Leone's main opposition party is calling on its 42 deputies in Parliament to boycott proceedings in protest over the recent presidential election, which gave an overwhelming victory to the ruling party. The Sierra Leone People's Party, or SLPP, said in a statement issued Tuesday that the party calls on its lawmakers, as well as its mayors and councilors in loca...
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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