Elections in the West African state of Sierra Leone passed off relatively peacefully on 17 November 2012. Nine of the ten registered political parties nominated candidates for the presidential election, but it was essentially a two-horse contest between the governing All People’s Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
The voting followed traditional patterns with the two main parties winning support in their traditional strongholds: APC in the north and west, and the SLPP in the south and east. The result in the capital, Freetown, turned out to be the deciding factor. President Ernest Koroma of the APC was re-elected with almost 59 percent of the votes cast. His opponent, Julius Maada Bio, won 40 percent. There had been fears of a run-off, however the APC emerged with a clear lead.
The SLPP, however, threatened to boycott parliament and local councils if its allegations of electoral malpractice were not addressed. It alleged that ballot boxes were stuffed with pre-marked ballots and reported other irregularities. The National Election Commission (NEC) has said it found no evidence of “over voting”. In the run-up to the election, there were sporadic clashes in Freetown between APC and SLPP supporters. A number of SLPP supporters were arrested in the eastern town of Kenema because police feared riots. The SLPP is demanding the release of its supporters and wants all charges against them to be dropped.
On the day of the election the mood was generally good-humoured and eager voters began queuing before polls opened at 7am. Polling officials worked late into the night to make sure all the materials had been received before voting began.
There were no clear differences between the policies of the two main parties. The APC promised to focus on the country’s infrastructure while the SLPP pledged to promote rural development. The big challenge for the re-elected government is addressing the needs of the 70 percent of the population under 35 and unemployed. Failure to do so could cause trouble for the future. With diamonds, iron ore and an abundance of fertile land, Sierra Leone is blessed with natural resources. However, it needs good governance and international support to lift it out of its position as one of the poorest countries in the world.
