Oumar Farouk Sesay: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 24 April 2026: The 55% threshold required for electoral victory in Sierra Leone, as stated in the country’s 1991 Constitution was no arithmetic accident. It was a deliberate act of political design—an attempt by the framers to confront, rather than merely ignore, the country’s ethno-regional fault lines. In a nation where electoral loyalties can harden along lines of identity and geography, the logic was as elegant as it was demanding anyone seeking a national mandate must be compelled to look beyond their familiar base. To win an election, a candidate would have to stretch—strategically, socially, and symbolically—into communities outside their party’s natural comfort zone. That design is plainly written into the Constitution. Section 42(2)(e) requires that a presidential candidate poll “not less than fifty-five per cent of the valid votes” to be elected. The aim was not merely to produce a winner but to...

Mohammed Kroma Esq: Siera Leone Telegraph: 24 April 2026: The debate over whether Parliament can establish a Standing Committee on Electoral Matters has produced more heat than light. Brima Sannoh’s analysis in Cocorioko yesterday was fair-minded — but fairness without precision leaves the constitutional question unanswered. What Section 32(11) says — and what it does not Section 32(11) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone states that the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) shall not be subject to the control or direction of any person or authority in the exercise of its functions. That provision protects operational independence. It means no minister, no party, no court can tell the ECSL how to count votes, manage results, or run an election. It does not — and cannot — mean that a constitutionally created public institution is exempt from parliamentary accountability. These are two entirely different things. Control is interference. Oversight is...

Abdul Kandeh Turay, Chairman Karene District Council The outcome of the eight-day engagement between the APC, the Government and the Moral Guarantors has generated mixed reactions across the country. While both the Government and the APC have claimed victory, what stands out clearly is the visible uneasiness on the part of the Government. Their frequent appearances across media platforms, often delivering inconsistent and shifting narratives, only deepen public suspicion rather than inspire confidence. At the heart of the engagement are eight key resolutions aimed at restoring credibility and trust in Sierra Leone’s democratic process. Among these, two are particularly critical: the establishment of a Standing Committee in Parliament on Electoral Matters, and the restructuring of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) before 31st December 2026. It is therefore both surprising and revealing that the SLPP appears most agitated by the proposal to establish a parliamentary committee on electoral matters....

Mohammed Kroma Esq: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 23 April 2026: There are moments in the legislative history of a nation when a single Bill reveals everything about the political culture that produced it. The 2026 National Security and Central Intelligence Bill is one such moment for Sierra Leone. On its face, it is a modernisation effort — an attempt to give this country a structured intelligence architecture fit for the challenges of the twenty-first century. That ambition is legitimate. Sierra Leone’s security needs are real. The threats — from organised crime, from cross-border instability, from the digital dimensions of modern conflict — are not imaginary. A functional, professional intelligence service is not a luxury. It is a necessity. But necessity does not suspend the Constitution. And this Bill, as drafted, does not merely push against constitutional boundaries — it demolishes several of them. My purpose in writing is not to oppose...

Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara Esq: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 23 April 2026: The public recognizes that the independence of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) is fundamental to democratic governance. Sierra Leone is no exception in this regard. The ECSL must remain free to register voters, conduct elections, and declare results without partisan interference. However, independence does not preclude accountability. Oversight and independence are not adversaries, they are complementary pillars of a functioning democracy. A commission that operates without accountability risks inefficiency, opacity, or the misuse of discretionary powers. Parliament, as the embodiment of the sovereign will of the people, has a legitimate constitutional mandate to ensure that public institutions adhere to the rule of law. The concerns arising from the 2023 presidential election, particularly those related to transparency in the collation and tallying of results, underscore the necessity for lawful and structured oversight. It is therefore difficult to justify the...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 23 April 2026: As shipping disruption continues to pressure delivery timelines, freight costs and supply continuity, Milano by Danube will unveil its Global Direct model at this year’s Canton Fair. Designed to reduce reliance on disrupted transit routes, the new fulfilment approach is aimed at supporting Milano by Danube’s international partner network. The company says Sierra Leone is among its key African markets, where it works through suppliers who resell its products as part of its broader distribution network on the continent. Under the model, orders placed at the fair will be fulfilled directly from Milano by Danube’s distribution centres in the Far East to partner destinations worldwide. The company says the approach is intended to support faster delivery, better price stability and uninterrupted supply. Sahil Sajan, Director of Milano, said the model is intended to help partners navigate ongoing logistics disruption by reducing intermediary transit points...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 23 April 2026: As confidence and trust between the government of Sierra Leone and the country’s main opposition APC party continue to remain in short supply, the international community – including UK and Germany, have once again stepped in, calling on the Sierra Leone government and the opposition APC to implement the eight-point peace and unity agreement signed by the ECOWAS, UN and Commonwealth mission in Freetown last week. Writing in a published statement yesterday, the international community in Sierra Leone, said: “The Embassies and High Commissions of Germany, Ghana, Iceland, Ireland, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom, welcome the press statement issued by the ECOWAS–UNOWAS–Commonwealth (International Moral Guarantors) Joint Assessment Mission to Sierra Leone (20 April 2026) and commend the Government of Sierra Leone, the APC party and other stakeholders for agreeing to advance the implementation of the Agreement for National Unity and the Tripartite Committee Recommendations....

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 22 April 2026: After almost two months political standoff between the government of Sierra Leone and the country’s main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, it seems there is light at the tunnel as the party’s elected members of parliament, local councillors and mayors end their boycott of parliamentary and council sittings. The boycott was sparked by the government’s decision to appoint a known ruling party loyalist and supporter – Edmund Sylvester Alpha, as head of the country’s Electoral Commission, responsible for overseeing the forthcoming 2028 presidential and general elections. But President Bio has refused to accept the APC’s demand for Edmund Alpha to be removed from office, in order to build confidence and trust in the electoral system and process.  Also, central to the APC party’s decision to stay away from parliament and local councils, was the row over the government’s failure to implement key recommendations...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 15 April 2026: Justice and civil liberty were murdered in Sierra Leone yesterday by a brutal president, who is known for committing some of the worst atrocities against his own people – especially political opponents, after Zainab Sheriff – a young female political activist was sentenced to four years and two months imprisonment, for simply expressing her views about electoral fraud in the country and how it should be addressed. Zainab was found guilty on two counts of what the government described as incitement and the use of threatening language, contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone. Her crime? She called for anyone caught stealing the people’s vote to be executed. President Bio knows all too well about carrying out extra-judicial executions as an ex-leader of a military junta, so this should not be a problem. Whether we agree with Zainab’s views on electoral fraud and how...