AYV News, July 6, 2023
The passing of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) in law has seen a massive increment of women’s representation in Sierra Leone’s forthcoming 6th parliament.
There has been an increment by 15% in 2023 with Kailahun (40%) and Bonthe (40%) recording the highest. 30.4% (41 MPs) of the 135 directly elected Members of Parliament are women.
A new law in Sierra Leone will ensure that at least 30% of parliamentarians are women and impose similar quotas in other institutions, including government, local councils, the diplomatic corps and the civil service. The Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act was signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio on 19 January, a few months before the country’s next general election scheduled for July 2023.
The law highlights the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective and women’s participation in decision-making roles across all areas. As well as in public institutions, the law also stipulates that at least 30% of jobs in the private sector should be held by women (for companies with 25 or more employees) and extends maternity leave from 12 to 14 weeks.
After one week following the announcement of the June 24, 2023 presidential results by the Returning Officer of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (EC-SL), Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, who also doubles as the Returning Officer, Parliamentary and Mayoral results were also announced on the 1st July, 2023 at the Bintumani Conference Centre at Aberdeen in Freetown.
The Parliamentary Election was conducted under the District Block System otherwise known as Proportional Representation System.
Before announcing the results, the Chief Electoral Commissioner commended all those who contributed immensely towards the successful conduct and outcome of the elections. He further disclosed that he will only be announcing the results for Mayoral and Parliamentary Elections and those for Councillors will be done next week.
According to the Parliamentary result, fifty-four seats nationwide were won by the All People’s Congress (APC) Party and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) got eighty-one seats countrywide.
With regards the Mayoral/Chairperson Elections, Kasho Hollande Cole representing the APC Party was duly elected Chairman of the Western Rural District Council having scored One Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand One Hundred and Sixty Four (157,164) valid votes cast representing 52.51% of the votes cast and Yvonne Aki Sawyer, also representing the APC, duly elected Mayor of the Freetown City Council with a total of Two Hundred Eighty Eight Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty Three (288,683) valid votes cast representing 51% of the votes cast.
