Sierra Leone’s incumbent president,
Ernest Bai Koroma, of the All People’s Congress party, recently beat out nine
other candidates in the presidential election. The All People’s Congress (APC)
party has ruled parliament since 2007 and was formed in 1960. Officials say
that the elections are becoming increasingly fair and transparent, and the
nation is moving towards a more equal democracy. Sierra Leone’s elections
function under the absolute majority method, so the candidate must receive 55%
of the votes to win. According to BBC, the voter turnout rate was 87.3%, and
Koroma claimed 58.7% of those votes. Sierra Leone has not had a peaceful
independence, and the time since the 1991-2002 civil war has been tumultuous.
These elections demonstrate great progress in their move towards a functioning,
fair government.
This
election is particularly newsworthy because it was peaceful, which is something
Sierra Leone has struggled with for years. The government of the nation has
overcome great obstacles, and the violence within the election process is one
of those obstacles. A peaceful election speaks volumes about the development in
Sierra Leone. To be able to emerge from the civil war that killed nearly 50,000
citizens and grow into a country of peaceful and transparent elections is very
big, and it goes to show how much can change in just a decade. This was the
first election held without UN supervision, and they demonstrated that they are
capable of instituting fair elections by themselves.
President
Koroma has taken the last five years to prove that he’s serious about
development of infrastructure and international trade, and wants to continue
with his efforts in his upcoming term.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20472962
Interesting post. What do you think was the underlying cause in the incredible transition from a tumultuous civil war ridden country to a more peaceful and stable one, now having the ability to conduct peaceful elections?
ReplyDeleteInsightful, Anna. It's interesting to think how just one election can turn the tide of a country. Should be interesting to see if President Koroma can develop the international trade systems and infrastructure he promised in his last term.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. It shows that African states can do it on their own with the right leadership and goals.
ReplyDeleteWhile I enjoy this optimistic posting, I am also left with a few questions... What do you think allowed Sierra Leone versus other countries to successfully have their own independent elections? Are the rest of their political institutions maintaining strong democratic trends? Because free and fair elections are great, but without a larger democratic system it is uncertain how impactful this event can be on the nation. And lastly, I wonder if Koroma will continue to be a good leader. I hope he pursues Sierra Leone's goals of international trade and infrastructure projects.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post because it is positive news worthy event which doesn't seem to happen as much as they should! I am curios as to what and who helped make this transition into a peaceful time for the first time? Can and will this spread to neighboring countries? Will peace continue in Sierra Leone?
ReplyDelete