ELECTIONS-SIERRA LEONE: An Election 30 Years in the Making

By Lansana Fofana Reprint | | Print |

Lansana Fofana

FREETOWN, Apr 21 2004 (IPS) - Local elections aren’t a rarity, some would claim. But, they are if you live in Sierra Leone and have not had a say about local councillors in three decades.

That the elections are happening is the good news. The bad news is that the contest is not going to be a pretty one.

Osman Yansaneh, secretary general of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC), has already alleged "gross interference of (tribal) ‘chiefs’ in the electoral process in favour of the ruling SLPP (Sierra Leone Peoples Party)."

Of the 17 registered political parties in the country, only four are taking part in the elections – the others having run out of steam after the last general election in May 2002.

The local government contenders include the SLPP of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) – formerly a rebel movement that gained notoriety in Sierra Leone and beyond for amputating the limbs of civilians during the country’s civil war.

The Peace and Liberation Party (PLP) and the biggest opposition party in parliament, the APC, are also participating in the poll, which is being administered by the National Electoral Commission (NEC).

Yansaneh told IPS, "We will resist all attempts by the SLPP to rig or influence the elections."

For his part, NEC’s chairman Eugene Davies said he wants to conduct "free, fair and transparent elections devoid of violence, intimidation and rigging." However, he expressed concern about the alleged meddling by tribal leaders in the selection of candidates for the municipal elections.

The municipal elections are crucial and clearly a test for the SLPP, which got 70 percent of the votes in general elections held almost two years ago. The SLPP is serving a second five-year term.

Political analyst John Mansaray says "It will be a tough fight for the SLPP. Most people here believe that the government has failed to deliver on its election promises in 2002."

During its 2002 campaign, the ruling party promised decent medical services, working roads, a reliable electricity supply and improved education. But, it has failed to match words with action, according to Mansaray.

Foday Kumara, a young voter, says he cast a ballot for the SLPP in the last elections, "but this time around I will be very careful in making my choice."

Others could not be bothered. "I find it difficult to feed my children and pay their school fees. Things are very hard for me, so the elections are not a priority for me," says Isatu Bangura, a housewife with four children.

But according to Sidikie Brima, the minister responsible for local government, these elections are merely about the "devolution of power and restoration of local government authority."

A total of 1,560 candidates will be competing for 390 electoral wards across the country. This in itself is significant because during the last elections, some regions were not entirely accessible because of rebel activity.

For the first time since democracy was re-introduced in 1996, independent candidates are participating in a nation-wide poll.

One such independent candidate, Michael Kanneh, told IPS after a day of campaigning: "The existing parties have failed to address the needs of the electorate, a reason why there is considerable voter apathy. I think party politics no longer attracts voters who have been more than doubly disappointed."

In the meantime, the campaign is heating up although there have been no reports of incidents yet.

The U.N. peacekeeping force here (around 11,000 military personnel) with assistance of the local police is providing security for the May 22 election. A grant of ten million dollars has been pumped in by the World Bank for the elections and revitalization of local councils.

However, the European Union refused to help with funds because of alleged financial improprieties with the 2002 vote.

At a court hearing earlier this month, Justice Robert Schuster set a bail of 43,000 dollars for Joseph Aruna and Francis Hindowa, who formerly served as electoral commissioners in eastern Sierra Leone. They stand accused of embezzling about 1,000 dollars of government money that had been intended to purchase office furniture and the like.

For most of the past decade, Sierra Leone – diamond-rich but plagued by a brutal civil war and political instability – remained one of the world’s poorest countries in spite of its substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the successful British-led military intervention in 2000 and the subsequent U.N. peacekeeping operation brought a measure of hope.

The civil war ended in early 2002, and President Tejan Kabbah was re-elected for a new five-year term in May 2002.