Sierra Leone - 2007 General Election
Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a directly elected president, a unicameral legislature, and a population of approximately six million. In peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections held in August and September 2007, the opposition All People's Congress (APC) won a majority in parliament, and citizens elected party leader Ernest Bai Koroma president. Domestic and international observers characterized the elections as credible and free but noted irregularities that did not affect the outcome. There were multiple reports of harassment and intimidation of members of opposition parties. There were also reports of voter coercion by party bosses and traditional leaders.
On August 11, presidential and parliamentary elections took place. Since no candidate received the requisite 55 percent of the vote, a runoff was held on September 8, during which the opposition APC candidate Ernest Bai Koroma won the presidency, and the APC ousted the ruling SLPP as majority members of parliament. The APC won 59 seats, the SLPP 43, and the PMDC 10. Paramount Chiefs hold 12 seats and were selected through a separate process. During the year there were multiple reports of harassment and intimidation of members of opposition parties. There also were reports of voter coercion by party bosses and traditional leaders. However, observers characterized the elections as generally free and fair, adding that irregularities did not affect the final outcome.
In advance of national elections in August 2007, the two major opposition political parties complained that their members were harassed. Before the elections the government used informer systems and tried to coerce or forbid membership in political organizations. There were reports that SLPP members monitored opposition political party meetings. Civil servants who attended such meetings risked losing their jobs or government housing. There also were reports that the government pressured paramount chiefs (who in turn pressured subordinate chiefs) to discourage the activities of opposition political parties in the provinces, particularly in remote areas.
In July 2007 a paramount chief in Kono suppressed various political activities associated with the APC by using the police to prevent their supporters from assembling.
Although there were no formal government restrictions on the political opposition, there were numerous reports that under the former ruling SLPP, party members of opposition parties were denied government jobs and government benefits. There were similar reports and allegations leveled at the new ruling APC party.
During the year 2008 there were multiple reports of harassment and intimidation of members of opposition parties. In other instances, independent and female candidates were forced to drop out of the race due to intimidation by APC and SLPP supporters. There also were reports of voter coercion by party bosses and traditional leaders. The Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) reported one case of a family being banished by a paramount chief in Kambia until after the election cycle.
The government generally respected the human rights of its citizens. However, there were serious problems in a number of areas, including: security force abuse and use of excessive force with detainees, including juveniles; police theft and extortion; harsh conditions in prisons and jails; official impunity; arbitrary arrest and detention; prolonged detention, excessive bail, and insufficient legal representation; restrictions on freedom of speech and press; forcible dispersion of demonstrators; harassment of opposition party supporters by ruling party members; widespread official corruption; societal discrimination and violence against women; trafficking in persons, including children; and child labor.
The UN Security Council Second Report of the Secretary General on the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone, dated 22 May 2009, recorded that in early March 2009 “in the run-up to a local council by-election in Pujehon District there were violent altercations between the SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) and APC (the All People’s Congress) sympathizers, resulting in serious injuries and a subsequent postponement of the election. The by-election was held on 28 March. However earlier incidents of political violence had an adverse effect on the turnout of potential voters and compelled some villagers to cross the border into Liberia for safety.”
The same UN Security Council report continued: “On 13 March, there was a clash between APC and SLPP supporters in Freetown. Stones and petrol bombs were utilized. The SLPP office and the Freetown City Council building were damaged as a result of these actions. A number of vehicles in the premises of SLPP were burned…On 16 March…the SLPP headquarters in Freetown was attacked by riotous crowds. The building was ransacked and badly damaged and a number of SLPP supporters injured. There were allegations that some women were raped and sexually assaulted in the course of the attack. There were also indications that some ex-combatants currently in the service of the law enforcement entities of the State were present during the attack on the SLPP offices. The police appeared overwhelmed and ill-equipped to deal effectively with those incidents.”
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