Lower turnout reported amid tight security in election that had been delayed by legal challenge

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Polls have opened in Sierra Leone’s runoff presidential election.

Voting is peaceful and the turnout is lower than in the first round on 7 March. Security is tight in the west African nation.

The vote had been set for Tuesday but was delayed after a ruling party member filed a court challenge alleging irregularities in the first round and a temporary injunction was issued, stalling preparations. It was lifted early this week and the election commission asked for a few more days to prepare.

The opposition Sierra Leone People’s party, which took 43.3% to the ruling All Peoples Congress party’s 42.7% in the first round, has not held the presidency since 2007.

President Ernest Bai Koroma has served two terms and is barred by the constitution from running again.</s>Voting is peaceful and the turnout is lower than in the first round on 7 March. Security is tight in the west African nation.

The vote had been set for Tuesday but was delayed after a ruling party member filed a court challenge alleging irregularities in the first round and a temporary injunction was issued, stalling preparations. It was lifted early this week and the election commission asked for a few more days to prepare.

The opposition Sierra Leone People’s party, which took 43.3% to the ruling All Peoples Congress party’s 42.7% in the first round, has not held the presidency since 2007.

President Ernest Bai Koroma has served two terms and is barred by the constitution from running again.</s>Sierra Leone heads to the polls to seek successor to Koroma

Military members stand guard as people queue to cast their vote during a presidential run-off in Freetown, Sierra Leone March 31, 2018. — Reuters picFREETOWN, March 31 — Sierra Leone voted today in a poll delayed by fraud allegations to choose a successor to President Ernest Bai Koroma who leaves a country still struggling after the Ebola epidemic.

The face-off between opposition leader Julius Maada Bio and ruling party standard-bearer Samura Kamara was supposed to take place on Tuesday but was rescheduled after a complaint about fraud in the first round of voting this month from a member of Kamara’s All People’s Congress.

The successor to Koroma, who is stepping aside after his maximum two five-year terms in office, faces an uphill struggle to overturn years of hardship caused by a slump in the price of its commodity exports and Ebola.

Voting got under way early in peaceful conditions, according to witnesses, though staff at two polling stations said turnout appeared to be lower than in the first round. Many were forced to walk to their nearest voting station because of a driving ban imposed on election day for security reasons.

“I want a better country, I want development for my country, so today I come to cast my vote for a leader who can develop this country,” said Mohamed Kamara after casting his vote under sunny skies at the Juba polling station in western Freetown.

Politics in the West African country of over seven million people has been dominated by two parties since independence from Britain in 1961: the ruling All People’s Congress, now fielding ex-foreign minister Samura Kamara, and the Sierra Leone People’s Party behind Julius Maada Bio, who briefly ruled as head of a military junta in 1996.

The first round of voting was marred by allegations of fraud in some districts and complaints of police harassment against the electoral commission. In some districts, police fired tear gas to disperse crowds after a dispute over voting irregularities.

But the generally peaceful nature of the election, and the fact that Koroma is stepping down while other African presidents seek to extend their mandates, is seen as a positive sign for Sierra Leone that was ripped apart by a 1990s civil war made infamous by the use of child soldiers.

The Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015 and the global commodities downturn slowed the economy, which shrank by a fifth in 2015, after years of double-digit growth.

“As a citizen of this country I would like to exercise my right...in a very peaceful atmosphere,” said Negadi Ansu, a voter at the Juba polling station. “We are looking forward to a free, fair election and with credible results.” — Reuters</s>FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Voting appeared to be peaceful on Saturday in Sierra Leone's runoff presidential election, which had been delayed by a few days after a court challenge of the first round.

Turnout in the West African nation was lower than in the first round on March 7. Security was tight and many streets were quiet for the holiday weekend.

The winner of the runoff will be tasked with helping Sierra Leone continue to rebuild after the devastating 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic as well as a deadly mudslide in August that claimed some 1,000 lives in the capital, Freetown.

The runoff vote had been set for Tuesday but was delayed after a ruling party member filed a court challenge alleging irregularities in the first round and a temporary injunction was issued, stalling preparations. The high court lifted the injunction early this week and the election commission asked for a few more days to prepare.

The opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party, which took 43.3 percent to the ruling All Peoples Congress party's 42.7 in the first round, has not held the presidency since 2007.

The opposition called the court challenge a delaying tactic and its candidate Julius Maada Bio, a former military leader, accused President Ernest Bai Koroma and the ruling party of "pushing us to the point of chaos in the country."

Koroma has served two terms and is barred by the constitution from running again.

Bio, who is making his second bid for the presidency after losing in 2012, stands to pick up votes from the 14 candidates eliminated in the first round.

The election is the fourth since Sierra Leone's brutal civil war ended in 2002, and the previous vote in 2012 was largely peaceful.

"We do not need any violence or confusion," said one voter, Tenneh Kamara. "All we need is to improve things for our nation so that we will be proud as citizens of this, our country."</s>Voters in Sierra Leone are going to the polls Saturday for a runoff presidential election, after none of the 16 candidates failed to clinch the 55 percent of votes necessary to win in the first round earlier this month.

The presidential vote was scheduled for Tuesday but was delayed so the High Court could hear a complaint from a member of the All People’s Congress party.

Voters are casting their ballots for either the ruling APC’s presidential candidate Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara or the Sierra Leone People’s Party presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio.

Kamara ran on a platform of continuing the APC’s track record of infrastructure development. But opposition groups pointed to alleged corruption by the ruling party, as well as poor handling of crises such as the Ebola outbreak in 2014.

This is the second time opposition candidate Bio has run for the country’s top government job. He lost the 2012 election to current President Ernest Bai Koroma who must step down this year after serving two terms.</s>Voters in Sierra Leone choose their new president on Saturday in a run-off poll which pits a coup leader against the president’s hand-picked successor.

The vote was delayed after an allegation of electoral fraud in the first round earlier this month.

Former military coup leader Julius Maada Bio received the most votes in the first round.

He now faces ruling party candidate Samura Kamara who is an economist by training.

Mr Maada Bio received 43.3% of the vote in the first round.

But in Sierra Leone the president is elected by absolute majority and if no-one gets 55% then it goes to a run-off.

President Ernest Bai Koroma is stepping down as president after serving two five-year terms. He chose Mr Kamara as his successor to run as president for the All People’s Congress (APC).

Mr Maada Bio, who is leading the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), lost to Mr Koroma in the last election. But Mr Maada Bio had already ruled the country briefly.

The 53-year-old was part of a group of soldiers who overthrew the government in 1992. Four years later he staged another coup and ruled Sierra Leone between January and March 1996.

Whoever wins this time, one of the greatest challenges for the new leader will be to improve healthcare following the devastating Ebola outbreak in 2014.

It killed nearly 4,000 people yet there are still only 200 doctors serving the country of seven million people.

The run-off was originally due to take place on Tuesday but the High Court ordered a delay after a member of the ruling party alleged there had been electoral fraud in the first round.

But the court rejected a petition by the ruling APC seeking an indefinite suspension of the run-off to allow for a forensic audit of the 7 March vote.</s>FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone voted on Saturday in a poll delayed by fraud allegations to choose a successor to President Ernest Bai Koroma who leaves a country struggling after the Ebola epidemic and a commodity price crash.

The face-off between opposition leader Julius Maada Bio and ruling party standard-bearer Samura Kamara was supposed to take place on Tuesday but was rescheduled after a complaint about ballot tampering in the first round of voting this month from a member of Kamara’s All People’s Congress.

Neither is a clear front runner after a first round that Maada Bio narrowly won with 43.3 percent of the votes versus 42.7 for Kamara, short of the 50 percent needed for outright victory. Counting had begun on Saturday evening and the elections commission said a result would be announced in the coming days.

Whoever succeeds Koroma, who is stepping aside after his maximum two five-year terms in office, faces an uphill struggle to overturn years of hardship. A slump in the price of its commodity exports since 2015 and the Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015 crippled the economy, which shrank by a fifth in 2015.

“I want a better country, I want development for my country, so today I come to cast my vote for a leader who can develop this country,” said Mohamed Kamara after casting his vote at a polling station in western Freetown.

Voting was completed on a hot and humid day in mostly peaceful conditions though there were clashes between supporters in at least one polling station, according to witnesses. On the streets of Lumley in western Freetown, police opened fire during a violent dispute. A Reuters witness said no one was killed.

Many voters complained that a heavy police presence inside polling stations had deterred people from casting their ballot.

Staff at two polling stations said turnout was lower than in the first round. Many were forced to walk to their nearest voting station because of a driving ban imposed on election day for security reasons.

“There is low turnout in different parts of the country because of the huge presence of security forces,” Julius Maada Bio said after voting in Freetown.

President Koroma also noted the low turnout when he spoke in Freetown, and urged people to head to their polling stations.

Concern about policing comes after the National Electoral Commission last week said that police had tried to intimidate staff in the run-up to the election.

Speaking to the media, army spokesman Major Paow Kagbo said the military personnel were there to ensure the election was “free and fair”.

Politics in the West African country of over seven million people has been dominated by two parties: the ruling All People’s Congress, now fielding ex-foreign minister Samura Kamara, and the Sierra Leone People’s Party behind Julius Maada Bio, who briefly ruled as head of a military junta in 1996.

The generally peaceful nature of the election, and the fact Koroma is stepping down while some other African presidents seek to extend their mandates, is seen as a positive sign for Sierra Leone that was ripped apart by a 1990s civil war.</s>The final round of voting in a razor-thin presidential election in Sierra Leone — a race that has been marked by controversy — is underway.

The two leading candidates — Samura Kamara of the ruling All People's Congress (APC) and Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) — are in a virtual dead heat, just as they were at the end of the first round of voting earlier this month, which Bio won by just 15,000 votes in a country with 3.1 million eligible voters.

"The race is too close to call," said Edmond Abu, director of the Native Consortium and Research Center.

Saturday's voting in the West African country was proceeding as planned, according to Momoh Sesay, an observer with the ruling APC party in the capital, Freetown.

More than 11,100 voting stations opened across the country at 0700 GMT but initially, at least, turnout appeared lower than the first round.

Polls are scheduled to close at 1700 GMT but results aren't expected until early next week

"It makes me proud to vote for the president I need to vote for," said Momoh Kamala, a 36-year-old cleaner in Freetown.

The diamond-rich Kono district in the east of the country is expected to be the key to victory for whoever wins, according to Abu, the political expert.

The APC filed a legal complaint alleging that some ballots had been tampered with, forcing a delay in the final round of voting, which was originally scheduled for last Tuesday.

The High Court resolved the issue Monday, but the National Election Commission asked the court for four more days to prepare the election.

Bio, 53, is a blunt-talking, retired brigadier general, who is trying to end the APC party's decade in power.

The former military man was part of a coup in 1992, and briefly led a junta in 1996 that eventually paved the way for democratic elections.

He also ran for president in 2012, losing to the APC incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma. The president is leaving office after 10 years in power.

The run-up to the election has been characterized by terse verbal exchanges and occasional violence.

Bio has accused the APC of using police intimidation against his party and the electoral commission and of sponsoring the court case to cling to power.

Police have reported a series of attacks on candidates and supporters on both sides since the first round of voting, which saw Bio lead the field by a mere 15,000 votes with a turnout of 84 percent.

Bio has campaigned on a platform focusing on education, corruption and criticism of the government's warming relations with China. Kamara, on the other hand, is presenting himself as the candidate to maintain the status quo — continuing to develop President Koroma's programs on health care and road construction.</s>Voters in Sierra Leone flocked to the polls on Saturday to elect new president in a hotly contested run-off vote between opposition leader Julius Maada Bio and ruling party candidate Samura Kamara.

Mr. Bio, of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), won a razor-thin victory in the first round of voting on March 7 with 43.3 per cent, while his rival Kamara received 42.7 per cent.

Mr. Kamara, 67, the candidate of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) promised continuity and economic recovery, while Mr. Bio pledged to end corruption and offer free education.

A run-off election was set for March 31 as no candidate reached the 55 per cent of votes needed to win outright.

Meanwhile, some 3.18 million Sierra Leoneans are eligible to vote.

President Ernest Bai Koroma is leaving office after serving two five-year terms, the constitutional limit, but inundated with claims of corruption and mismanagement from the opposition.

Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown was calm on Saturday, with few cars on the road and police outside polling stations to prevent any disruptions.

“All we need is just peaceful elections and I hope in the name of God, everything is going to be calm and fine today so that we can go on with our normal activities,” Yainkain Kargbo, a trader and mother of four, said.

According to her, the people of Sierra Leone are tired of waiting for the election to be over.

Diamond-rich but poverty-stricken Sierra Leone was ravaged by years of brutal civil war in the 1990s, only to be hit hard by the deadly ebola virus in 2014.</s>In Sierra Leone, ballot counting is underway for the presidential runoff election.

Voters went to the polls Saturday.

The current president, Ernest Bai Koroma, is stepping down this year after serving two five-year terms.

Voters cast ballots for the ruling All Peoples Congress Party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara, or the Sierra Leone People’s Party presidential candidate, Julius Maada Bio.

This was the second time opposition candidate Bio has run for the country’s top government job. He lost the 2012 election to President Koroma.

Reports said turnout seemed lower than in the first round of voting, possibly because of heavy security precautions. Media reports say driving was banned in some areas, forcing voters to walk to their polling stations.

The runoff vote had been set for Tuesday, but was delayed after a ruling party member filed a court challenge alleging irregularities in the first round and a temporary injunction was issued, stalling preparations.

The high court lifted the injunction early in the week, but the election commission asked for a few more days to prepare.

The new president will have to contend with issues such as rebuilding after the country’s devastating Ebola virus epidemic of 2014-2016, as well as a mudslide in August that killed an estimated 1,000 people in the nation’s capital, Freetown.
The second round of a general election begins in Sierra Leone with a tight race expected between the People's Party and the All People's Congress. Incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office.