EU Observers Report on June 24 Elections Uncovers
By: Christian Conteh
A report from European Union (EU) election observers has shed light on significant statistical inconsistencies and mathematical improbabilities in Sierra Leone’s June 24 elections, raising concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.
On June 27, the National Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) declared Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) elected for a second term, surpassing the constitutional threshold of 55 percent in the first round by a narrow 1.17 percentage points.
However, following the release of results for the parliamentary elections a few days later, it became apparent that discrepancies marred the data published by the ECSL, indicating several statistical irregularities and mathematical improbabilities.
Some of the observed inconsistencies included a stark contrast in the number of average valid votes per polling station between the first and second batch of presidential results. These variations ranged from a decrease of 75 percent to an increase of 31 percent per district. Notably, there was a substantial difference of up to 23 percentage points per district between the voter turnout for the presidential and parliamentary elections. Some districts reported significantly lower parliamentary turnouts, while others exhibited notably lower presidential turnouts.
Intriguingly, five districts reported voter turnout percentages above 90 percent, a statistic that raised questions among election observers. Additionally, the reported nationwide rate of invalid votes was an astonishingly low 0.4 percent.
These inconsistencies, coupled with the ECSL’s decision not to publish disaggregated results, have cast a shadow of doubt on the transparency of the tabulation process and the confidence of voters in the final election outcomes.
The EU observers’ report has ignited calls for a thorough investigation into the electoral discrepancies, as well as a comprehensive audit of the election results to ensure the integrity and credibility of the democratic process in Sierra Leone.
