The State Opening of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone will be done by His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio in the House of Parliament at 10:00am today.
In the Chamber of Parliament this morning, pursuant to Sub-sections 1, 2 & 3 of Section 84 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Act No. 6 of 1991), His Excellency will officially proclaim the commencement of the First Session of the Sixth Parliament and then proceed to present his First Address to Parliament on the state of the nation, after the conduct and conclusive outcome of the June 24th General Elections by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone.
The Clerk of Parliament, Hon. Paran Umar Tarawally said only invited guests will be allowed to access the precincts of Parliament and that no bags or backpacks will be allowed into the Chamber.
He also informed that vehicles and persons will be screened or searched thoroughly before gaining access to the precincts of Parliament and that any other measures that maybe activated as situations required.
Dr. Julius Maada Bio won a landslide victory in the June 24, 2023 general elections to be re-elected Sierra Leone’s president for a second term of five years.
The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (EC-SL) on Tuesday 27th June, announced at 4:20pm local time that President Dr. Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won 1,566,932 (56.17%) of a total of 2,789,808 valid ballots, beating out the ruling All People’s Congress candidate, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, who garnered 1,148,262 (41.16%).
His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio is again the Supreme Head of State and Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Fountain Head of Unity, Honour, Freedom and Justice.
He first became President of Sierra Leone when he won the 2018 election and was inaugurated on May 12, 2018 as the 5th President of Sierra Leone.
Born on May 12, 1964 in Tihun, Sogbini chiefdom, Bonthe district, President Bio is one of 35 children born to Paramount Chief, Charlie Wonie Bio II, Sogbini chiefdom.
H.E. President Bio completed his primary, secondary and undergraduate education in Sierra Leone. Always driven by a passion to serve his country, H.E. President Bio started his illustrious public service journey as a school teacher before joining the Sierra Leone Army where he rose through the ranks as Brigadier.
He previously served as Chief Secretary of State, Chief of Defense Staff, Minister of Information, Minister of Marine Resources, Deputy Head of State, and ultimately as Head of State of Sierra Leone from January to March 1996.
As Head of State, President Bio presided over the conduct of the first democratic elections in Sierra Leone in nearly three decades. In Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Wonie Bio is popularly referred to as the “Father of Democracy” because of his outstanding contribution towards the restoration of democracy and attainment of peace in Sierra Leone.
President Bio is a well-known Philanthropist and Humanitarian through the work of the Maada and Fatima Bio Foundation. The Foundation donated food and other items to victims and families affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and during the environmental disasters of 2015.
Most recently, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bradford, United Kingdom, pursuing a doctorate programme in Peace Studies.
H.E. President Bio credits his mother, Mamie Amie, as the person from whom he acquired all his driving principles in life – calmness, hard worker, and a staunch believer in God.
The Rt. Honourable Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu has been re-elected as Speaker of the Sixth Parliament of Second Republic. The Speaker is one of the most powerful positions in Sierra Leone politics and without one, Parliament cannot function.
Hon. Dr Bundu’s party, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) secured the majority of Parliament following the general elections held on 24th June, with 81 MPs as against 54 APC MPs and 14 Paramount Chief MPs.
Hon. Abass Bundu won the election with a simple majority after the third rounds of ballot.
Rt. Hon. Dr. Bundu was born on 3rd June, 1948 in Gbinti, Port Loko district to Pa Santigie and Isatu Kallay Bundu. He is a Lawyer, tactful Politician, Diplomat and the current Speaker of the House of the Republic of Sierra Leone Parliament which is the highest Lawmaking body.
He was elected as Speaker of Parliament on 25th April, 2018 by affirmatives of 70 votes out of 123 present. He is one of the most senior Northern politicians and one of the most influential members of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party.
He is the older brother of Hon. Ibrahim Bundu, a former member of the opposition All People’s Congress and former majority leader of the House of Parliament.
From 1989 to 1993, Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu was the Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He also served at various times as Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Tourism and Cultural Affairs and Foreign Affairs and International Corporations
He was the Presidential Candidate of the now defunct Progressive People’s Party (PPP) in the 1996 Sierra Leone presidential election.
Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu attended the St. Andrews Secondary School in Bo, the Methodist Boys’ High School in Freetown and the St. Edward’s Secondary School also in Freetown. While in secondary school, Bundu was a very brilliant student and he was highly admired by his fellow students and teachers.
Immediately after secondary school, Bundu left Sierra Leone as a youth and moved abroad to further his education. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Australian National University (ANU) and both a Master of Laws and a PhD in International Law from the University of Cambridge, England. He is also a Barrister-at-Law.
Rt. Hon Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu numerous positions include a Law Tutor in Cambridge University, Assistant Director of International Affairs and Consultant in Constitutional Law in the Commonwealth Secretariat in London from 1975–82; Executive Secretary of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 1989–1993, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation (1993–1995), Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources 1982–85; member of Parliament 1982-1992 and Presidential candidate in the 1996 Presidential election in Sierra Leone.
He is an expert on West African affairs and a renowned expert on constitutional and international law. Bundu has written a critical analysis of the Civil War in Sierra Leone, in his book entitled “Democracy by Force?” and several legal articles in various international legal journals.
