Politics

Sierra Leone’s main opposition party rejects presidential election results

Published

1 year ago

July 1, 2023

Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC) has rejected the announced result of the just concluded presidential election.

The APC cited “glaring irregularities” in the election which gave the candidate of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), President Julius Maada Bio, a second term ticket, and called for a rerun of the June 24 election.

The APC in a statement said it rejected the outcome “given the glaring irregularities and violations of established electoral procedures.”

“We can no longer tolerate injustice, tyranny and usurpation of power in Sierra Leone. This is what dictatorship looks like,” it said.

President Bio was re-elected with 56% of the vote, narrowly avoiding a run-off which could have been if none of the candidates secured 55% of the votes cast. But APC candidate, Samura Kamara has questioned the official result.

Also, in a joint statement on Wednesday, the EU, the US, the UK, Ireland, Germany, and France expressed their worries about the lack of transparency in the tabulation process, as well as the fact that voting was significantly hindered in some areas due to substantial logistical issues.

Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information, Mohamed Rahman Swaray has dismissed the opposition party’s position.

“A rerun after an official declaration of results and a swearing-in ceremony is unconstitutional.

“It can only happen through a Supreme Court decision. Otherwise no political party can arrogate themselves that right or power. It’s wishful thinking,” Swaray told journalists.

“A president who has led his people so well that they just renewed his mandate through democratic means cannot be subjected to sanctions.

“That’s entirely their discretion. We want a truly multiparty parliament but it is their choice to make. I hope they’ll reconsider that decision,” Swaray added

Prior to the elections, an NGO poll that is a collaborator with the pan-African pollster, Afrobarometer predicted that Bio would win with 56% of the vote while Kamara would get 43%. The poll also predicted that the SLPP would take between 56 and 61 percent of the seats in parliament, with the APC taking the remaining seats.

It is common to have election results contested in many African nations. Elections in Kenya, Nigeria, and Togo that resulted in new governments last year were surrounded by claims of fraud and irregularities.

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.