AYV News May 23, 2023
The nationwide political parties’ campaigns for the 2023 multi-tier elections are scheduled to start today, 23rd May, 2023.
The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (EC-SL) declared May 23 as official start date for political parties’ campaigns for presidential, parliamentary and local council elections.
“The campaigns will start today, 23rd May and end on Thursday 22nd June 2023 at 6:00pm prompt” the EC-SL stated in a news release.
In exercise of the powers conferred on the EC-SL by Section 154 – 155 of the Public Elections Act, 2022 (Act No. 17 of 2022), the Commission, after consultations with political parties and candidates contesting the said elections, published the campaign calendar of event.
The campaigns start today with the People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) and will be followed tomorrow by the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on 25th May, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on 26th May, the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) on 27th May, the National Grand Alliance (NGC) on 28th May, the All People’s Congress (APC) Party on 29th May, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) on 30th May, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) on 31st May and the Independent candidates on 1st June.
The elections have officially commenced on Saturday 20th May, 2023, with elections for Paramount Chief Members of Parliament (PCMPs) in five districts across the country.
Past Saturday, the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (EC-SL) conducted elections for 6 candidates in Falaba, 3 in Bonthe 2 in Kambia, 2 in Pujehun and 2 in Bombali respectively for the position of Paramount Chief Members of Parliament.
The 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, Section 74(1)(a) mandates that residents of every district in the provinces, shall elect 1 of their Paramount Chiefs to represent the district in Parliament as a Paramount Chief Member of Parliament (PCMP).
PCMPs are differently elected from the other class of Members of Parliament popularly called the Ordinary Members of Parliament (OMPs).
Hence the PCMP Elections for the next Parliament were held past Saturday whilst the OMP Elections are slated for 24th June.
Only 5 out of 14 districts got EC-SL conducting elections for PCMPs past Saturday. This is because the Paramount Chiefs in the remaining 9 districts have, by various means of consensus amongst themselves, decided to choose one of their numbers to go unopposed.
Initially, it was 7 districts (Tonkolili, Port Loko, Karene, Bo, Moyamba, Kailahun, Kono) with unopposed PCMPs but in the weekend, the EC-SL confirmed the withdrawal of all but one candidate in Kenema and Koinadugu respectively; thus, leaving only 5 districts within which EC-SL conducted elections over the weekend.