The “mediated dialogue”: an elite bargain?
What a time to be back! The mediated dialogue between the Government and the main opposition, the All Peoples Congress (APC), was the highlight of the week. Talk of the town, and rightly so. It is indeed a conversation that will linger on for a while. Maybe not for too long because no topic is […]
Will a state-led electoral systems review offer the desired outcomes?
On Thursday, the new Parliament of Sierra Leone was officially convened in what is known as a State Opening. This comes amidst the ongoing political stalemate and a boycott by the main opposition, the All People’s Congress (APC). At the State Opening, the President, Julius Maada Bio, announced that a committee would be set up […]
The manifestos that don’t manifest: Interrogating commitment to gender and climate change
Few weeks to the June elections, the two leading political parties for the June 24 elections, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC) have finally published their long-awaited manifestos. While this is welcoming news, the documents ) fall short of the detail and rigour expected of a national political party […]
Western diplomats versus who? Been here before
As the elections draw closer, some patterns are emerging, and they are all too familiar. There are plenty of glossy and ubiquitous billboards of the incumbent all over the place. That is one way to tell that the elections are here and it also shows you who controls The Power and resources. But this is […]
2023 Elections: Voter registration hiccups and implications for the electoral process
The registration of voters for next year’s public elections has had a bumpy start. In the first week, staff contended with malfunctioning kits and other logistical problems, while many registrants were left either frustrated or confused. This delivery is clearly the product of a not-so-well-planned exercise by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). Sorry, […]