Debate Over Presidential Election Threshold Intensifies in Sierra Leone

 

The threshold for electing a president remains a contentious issue in Sierra Leone. 

Truth Media shared a 5-minute interview clip with Alpha Sesay, the attorney general and justice minister, who has publicly opposed extraditing a convicted Dutch drug dealer with over 100 convictions in Europe for narcotrafficking. 

The Truth Media podcast host quoted the draft legislation: a person shall not be declared elected as president of Sierra Leone unless at the presidential election he obtains a simple majority of the total valid vote cast throughout Sierra Leone, and a minimum of 20 percent of the total valid vote cast in at least two-thirds of the districts of Sierra Leone. 

Sesay stated that President Julius Maada Bio supports the bill to ensure broad representation in presidential elections. 

He noted that the All People's Congress, the Sierra Leone People's Party, and other minority groups agree the 55 percent threshold is high, and he believes Sierra Leone may be the only African country with such a requirement. 

Sesay also highlighted the country's regional divisions, with the Sierra Leone People's Party dominant in the southeast and the All People's Congress in the northwest. 

According to Sesay, requiring two-thirds of districts could mean winning both rural and urban areas, including Freetown, the capital with over a million residents. 

He emphasized that presidential candidates should secure support in both the southeast and northwest. 

The Truth Media podcast noted that this proposal coincides with ongoing changes to the country's 16-district layout. 

Sesay said that, due to concerns raised, the All People's Congress has called on Bio to return to the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee, which was established after the election commissioner appointed by Bio declined to release detailed results from the June 2023 election.

The cross-party body was established to review the disputed 2023 elections, address systemic electoral issues, and recommend institutional reforms.


It was created under the October 2023 Agreement for National Unity, mediated by international partners such as ECOWAS and the Commonwealth, and is co-chaired by government and opposition representatives. 

According to Sesay, the Tripartite Committee recommended a presidential threshold of 50+1 and 25 percent in half of the voting districts. 

Reviewing the history of proposals to the Constitutional Review Committee, Sesay emphasized that the 50+1 threshold has consistently been an All People's Congress requirement. 

He noted that the idea of requiring 25 percent in half of the districts was introduced during the Tripartite Committee's six-month consultation. 

The current deadlock centers on the final presidential threshold to be included in the constitution, with competing interests still debating and Sierra Leone People's Party members of parliament prepared to use their majority to maintain power. 

Sesay added that it was the All People’s Congress who shifted their position from 50+1 to the previous 55 percent threshold, which he found disappointing.

In a social media post, commentator Amadu Massally stated that a country cannot fix a contested election by urging its people to accept yet another contested election.

Constitutional reform should build public trust rather than demand additional public belief.