EU Observers Confirm Lack of Transparency in June 2023 Elections
By: Christian Conteh
In a demonstration of Sierra Leoneans’ unwavering commitment to democracy, the 2023 general elections saw a significant turnout on June 24th as citizens cast their votes for the president, parliamentary members, mayors, and local councillors.
With a recently revised legal framework aimed at ensuring election integrity and promoting gender parity in politics, expectations were high.
However, the trust of voters in the elections’ credibility was shaken by a severe lack of transparency during crucial stages, especially in the tabulation process and glaring statistical inconsistencies in the results. The EU Election Observation Mission Final Report on the June 24 General Elections has confirmed.
The EU Mission further confirmed that an independent citizen observer group that raised concerns about the process faced threats, forcing its leadership to flee the country, marking a concerning indicator of potential democratic backsliding.
It further noted that the 2022 electoral reform efforts had laid a strong foundation for democratic elections, introducing new laws, including gender quotas for party lists and provisions to ensure the financial independence of the Election Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). Legislative initiatives preceding the 2023 elections also led to the full implementation of five out of the nine recommendations from the EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) in 2018.
The EU Mission went on to note that while election day remained generally calm, there were notable delays in opening polling stations and isolated incidents of violence. Voters exhibited patience as they queued to cast their ballots, and diligent poll workers worked tirelessly to facilitate a smooth voting process. Citizen observers were present at all polling centres and journalists delivered regular reports.
It maintained that the counting of ballots was, for the most part, transparent, although the planned electronic transmission of results from polling stations did not materialize. Unfortunately, a lack of adequate explanation and action by the ECSL left stakeholders concerned.
“Following the declaration of the results of the parliamentary elections a few days later, it was clear that result totals published by the ECSL showed several statistical inconsistencies and mathematical improbabilities. These included notable discrepancies in the number of average valid votes per polling station between the first and second batch of presidential results, varying from a decrease of 75 per cent to an increase of 31 per cent per district; a difference of up to 23 percentage points per district between the turnout for the presidential and parliamentary elections,” according to the report.
The report notes that, these inconsistencies included substantial variations in the average valid votes per polling station between the first and second batches of presidential results, with differences ranging from a 75 percent decrease to a 31 percent increase per district. Furthermore, there was a discrepancy of up to 23 percentage points per district between the turnout for the presidential and parliamentary elections, some districts reporting substantially lower parliamentary turnouts and others significantly lower presidential turnouts.
The voter turnout exceeded 90 percent in five districts, and the number of invalid votes nationwide was a mere 0.4 percent.
These discrepancies, coupled with the ECSL’s decision not to publish disaggregated results, significantly eroded trust in the tabulation process and voter confidence in the election outcome.
Despite apparent operational readiness, the ECSL’s lack of transparency raised concerns, particularly given the existing distrust in state institutions. The presidential appointment of ECSL commissioners further fuelled perceptions of political bias.
Conclusively, the report indicated that the ECSL missed numerous opportunities to build stakeholders’ trust, as most decisions and procedures remained undisclosed and unexplained to the citizenry.
