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Sierra Leone Presidential Run-off Set For March 31, Court Rules

A high court sitting in Sierra Leone presided over by Justice A. R. Mansaray J, have overturned its earlier interim ruling restricting the National Electoral Commission from conducting the run-off presidential election which is scheduled for 27th of March.

A high court sitting in Sierra Leone presided over by Justice A. R. Mansaray J, have  overturned its earlier interim ruling restricting  the National Electoral Commission from  conducting the run-off presidential election which is scheduled for 27th of March. The run-off is now scheduled to take place on Saturday March 31st 2018.

The court which vacated the order restricting the National electoral commission from conducting the run off, on Monday noted that the ruling was delivered having considering the application by the plaintiff and relevant laws.

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Filing a petition before the high court in Freetown, Mr Koroma who was the plaintiff seeked injunction to suspend the Presidential run-off election which was scheduled to hold on the 27th of March between candidates of the Sierra Leone People’s party and all people’s congress which is currently the ruling party. Also the plaintiff prayed the high court to order a recount of all the vote casted during the March 7 inconclusive election. 

Further seeking a restraining order restricting the defendant from announcing or publishing the Presidential, Parliamentary or Local council election results pending the hearing and determination of his application, the plaintiff represented by Lasana Dumbuya also seeked order to conduct forensic audit of the internal system and the entire electioneering system conducted by NEC during the March 7 election.

Presiding over the case Justice A. R. Mansaray ruled that;

The 1st and 2nd defendants shall ensure that both political parties’ agents to the run-off election are given Temper Evidence Envelop (TEE) containing signed copies of the election results at each polling station nationwide.’’

That the result from the districts and or regions be manually transferred to the 2nd defendants’ Tally Centre and/or headquarters in a transparent and all-inclusive manner.

Also the ruling added that the political parties’ accredited agents shall monitor the transportation and transfer of all sensitive polling manner. 

The run-off will be between the opposition leader Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party and Samura Kamara of the ruling All People’s Congress who failed to secure 55 percent of vote cast.