AYV News, July 2, 2024
Sierra Leone’s President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio has received the conclusive Report from the Tripartite Committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies Review, at State House.
President Bio said: “Today, I received the final report of the Cross-Party Committee on Electoral Systems and Bodies at State House. I am committed to deepening our democratic credentials by instituting just and inclusive electoral management and electoral process reforms. I want to thank members of the Committee for their exceptional service to our beloved Sierra Leone. I am deeply grateful to our development partners for their support of the principles, objectives, and work of this committee”.
The two Lead Negotiators, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara of the opposition APC Party and Dr. David Moinina Sengeh of the ruling SLPP jointly expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the Committee’s efforts.
The presentation marked a significant milestone following six months of intensive collaboration among key stakeholders.
The Tripartite Committee, comprising representatives from the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government, the All Peoples Congress (APC), and moral guarantors, finalised their recommendations after a thorough assessment of electoral systems and processes.
Recommendation 42: Amend the Public Elections Act to mandate that Electoral Commission convene a Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) to meet at least monthly, and to make public all PPLC documents including the agenda and formal minutes.
PPLC should be chaired by the Chair of ECSL or their representative and consist of all registered political parties, HRC, NCD, NCRA, ONS, Peace Commission, PPRC, RSLAF, SL Police and CSOs accredited to EC-SL.
The two largest political parties in Parliament are to be co-chairs. Consideration should be given to making a reference to PPLC in the Political Parties Act in relation to the PPRC.
This statutory provision for PPLC is to include a mechanism for a political party’s registered officer to make nominations and withdraw nominations for that party’s PPLC membership (including provision for an alternate).
Key amongst all is Recommendation 43 – Amend the Public Elections Act 2022 to include requirements and timeframes for the publication of:
* Electoral Commission decisions, regulations and formal policies;
* Electoral Commission meeting agendas and minutes;
* A register of formal Commission decisions; in the Gazette, on the EC-SL website and social media platforms. The law to require that these documents are permanently maintained for public access on their website and for hard copies to be available for inspection at all EC-SL offices.
Recommendation 79: The Committee recognises the need for early and diaspora voting but would suggest that this issue be discussed in the national dialogue recommended in recommendation 78.
Recommendation 46: The Committee recommends an amendment to section 76(1)(b) of the Constitution to stipulate a six-month resignation deadline for public officers seeking elected office.
This Committee feels that further clarity on the legal definition of a Public Officer under Section 171 of the Constitution would be useful for the future.
