Sierra Leone’s Election Reforms Spark Debate

The next president of Sierra Leone may be required to secure 20 percent of the valid votes cast in 11 of the 16 districts. 

With an estimated population of 7 million and approximately 2 million registered voters, a 20 percent threshold equates to 44,000 people, or proportionally, 12,571 voters. 

If the combined population of the 11 districts is 220,000, then multiplying 11 by 20,000 yields the target of 44,000 people, which is 20 percent of 220,000. 

The national voter proportion is 28.57 percent, calculated by dividing 2,000,000 by 7,000,000. 

The total number of district voters is 62,857, determined by multiplying 220,000 by 28.57 percent. 

The target win is 12,571 voters, which is 20 percent of 62,857. 

While these calculations may appear convoluted, they have reportedly informed the strategies of 2028 presidential contender David Sengeh, who is said to have utilized artificial intelligence to develop his own electoral formula. 

However, civil society leader and governance expert Marcella Samba-Sesay has expressed skepticism regarding the logic of this approach. 

During an appearance on Truth FM 103/9, Sesay identified the most significant issue as the clause concerning the presidential threshold required to win an election.

Award-winning author and political commentator Amadu Massally argued that the proposed clause demonstrates either a lack of understanding on the part of the Attorney General or participation in a deliberate strategy involving coordinated government action. 

Massally further suggested that opposition Members of Parliament may be complicit. 

In a recent publication, Massally traced the origins and evolution of 16 provisions in Sierra Leone’s 2025 Constitutional Amendment Bill. 

He emphasized the importance of transparency in the legislative process, questioning whether the public is informed about the origins, survival, modification, or removal of specific recommendations, and who is responsible for these changes. 

According to Massally’s audit, 15 provisions can be traced to identifiable reform sources, while the detailed origin of one caretaker provision remains unclear. 

He cautioned that traceability does not guarantee fidelity, as some recommendations were closely adopted, while others were narrowed, omitted, redirected, or substantially altered. 

Massally clarified that his report does not instruct Sierra Leoneans on how to vote or whom to support, but rather provides a documentary trail for citizens and Parliament to consult before making constitutional decisions. 

The report serves as a public accountability document, asserting that the Constitution belongs to the people, who should not be asked to approve changes without clear explanations of their origins, mechanisms, and consequences. 

A vlogger also highlighted that amendments to the 1991 Constitution included changes to the presidential election threshold. 

Previously, candidates were required to secure 55 percent of the total valid votes to win. 

The amendment now allows the candidate with the most votes to win outright, even by a single vote. 

The vlogger also noted the replacement of the constituency system with proportional representation. 

In June 2023, 135 members were directly elected by proportional representation in 16 multi-seat constituencies (districts), while the remaining 14 members were indirectly elected from among the Paramount Chiefs of Sierra Leone. 

In 2018, the All People’s Congress (APC) secured a parliamentary majority with 68 seats, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won 48 seats, and two other parties and three independent candidates won the remaining 15 seats. 

In 2023, the 135 directly elected members of parliament were chosen by proportional representation within each of the 16 districts, replacing the previous simple majority system. 

This change was requested by Maada Bio and approved by the Supreme Court. 

On July 1, 2023, the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone published the official list of members of Parliament by district under the proportional representation system. 

The SLPP won the highest number of parliamentary seats in the June 24, 2023 elections, with 81 Members of Parliament, while the APC secured 54 seats. 

The vlogger also discussed new procedures for appointing the Chief Electoral Commissioner, granting the president the authority to appoint a nomination committee. 

• General election dates are now fixed on the second Saturday of each election year, removing the president’s discretion. 
• Independent candidates for president and vice president are now permitted to run. 
• The period for petitioning election results has been reduced from seven to three days. 

In 2023, an online petition claimed that Samura Kamara, the APC presidential candidate, had evidence of achieving 72 percent of the election results, although one document indicated his vote share was 57.1 percent. 

The electoral commissioner, reportedly aligned with Julius Maada Bio, declared the outcome in favor of Bio. 

In July 2023, a researcher from American University noted that the U.S. Department of State expressed concerns about irregularities in the election results announced by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone and called for improvements in electoral procedures. 

The National Election Watch compared parliamentary election results with district-level presidential results and identified significant inconsistencies in turnout data. 

Maada Bio dismissed concerns from Western election observers and was subsequently sworn in. 

At that time, Bio’s daughter was reportedly engaged to a convicted Dutch drug trafficker, Jos Leidjkkers, who allegedly received protection from Bio and his associates. 

Leidjkkers was reported to have made financial contributions to politicians, media, and local organizations to influence public perception and suppress attention to his presence, despite requests from the Netherlands for his extradition.

In an interview on Truth FM 102/9, Marcella Samba Sesay urged members of parliament to reconsider the proposed clause. 

She referenced the 1991 constitution, which required a presidential candidate to obtain 55 percent of the total votes to win, with a run-off election decided by a simple majority if no candidate met this threshold. 

Sesay highlighted that the Constitutional Review Committee did not recommend altering the 55 percent requirement. 

She argued that this stipulation encourages political candidates to seek support beyond their traditional strongholds and to engage independent and swing voters. 

Sesay emphasized that Sierra Leone’s post-war society requires a democratic system that fosters peace and social cohesion. 

Candidates who secure votes across political divides in polarized contexts are better positioned to facilitate dialogue and promote unity. 

She also noted that the Tripartite Committee, established after the contested June 2023 elections, made similar recommendations. 

This cross-party body was formed after the Election Commission declined to provide disaggregated data verifying Julius Maada Bio’s victory. 

Rather than releasing comprehensive voting data, Bio facilitated the creation of a national unity agreement, a framework reminiscent of post-conflict reconciliation efforts. 

The 2023 electoral cycle was not audited, electoral legislation was disregarded, and data management systems were linked to unverified databases, including autonomous AI agents and unvetted data sources, without adequate security measures or explicit human oversight.

Sesay observed that the current amendment before the Sierra Leonean parliament, which significantly lowers the threshold for presidential candidates to win elections, is not supported by recommendations from either the Constitutional Review Committee or the Tripartite Committee. 

Sierra Leone’s constitutional review is a multi-phase national initiative aimed at updating the 1991 Constitution to implement long-awaited governance and electoral reforms. 

The process was recommended by the 1999 Lomé Peace Accord and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to strengthen multi-party democracy following the civil war. 

The Peter Tucker Commission operated from 2007 to 2008, and the Constitutional Review Committee was relaunched in July 2013 under Justice Edmond Cowan, submitting its final recommendations in January 2017. 

The government issued its official White Paper in January 2022 to advance accepted reforms. 

Currently, parliament is progressing with non-entrenched, election-related amendments (Phase 1), which are not linked to the Tripartite Committee or Justice Cowan’s reports, prior to broader comprehensive reforms (Phase 2). 

Sesay further noted that the current amendment to the presidential candidate threshold does not provide the public with a rationale for the reduction.

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies reports that more than 30 African countries employ a two-round electoral system, requiring presidential candidates to secure an absolute majority (50 percent plus one vote) of the national vote to win outright in the first round. 

If no candidate achieves this threshold, the top two candidates proceed to a second-round runoff. 

According to Citizen Digital, this "50% + 1" rule is prevalent across West, East, and Southern Africa. 

In Kenya, the constitution mandates that candidates must obtain 50 percent plus one vote nationwide, as well as at least 25 percent of the vote in more than half of the counties. 

Liberia’s constitution also requires this threshold, and runoffs are common when candidates finish in the 40 percent range. 

Ghana mandates a clear 50 percent majority to win in the first round. 

Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, and Benin have also historically implemented absolute majority systems for direct presidential elections.

Sierra Leone previously adhered to this system until recent legislative changes altered the requirements.