Sierra Leone - 2012 General Election
The country held multi-party elections in 2012, and the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) ended its operations in 2014.
In peaceful presidential, parliamentary, and local government elections held on 17 November 2012, the ruling APC won an expanded majority in parliament, and voters reelected President Ernest Bai Koroma. Domestic and international observers noted that the benefits of incumbency gave the APC a significant competitive advantage, but still characterized the elections as free, fair, transparent, and credible, commending the 87 percent turnout among registered voters. The opposition SLPP alleged widespread voter fraud and refused to accept the results of the poll until December 3.
Political Parties: The Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), which oversees political parties, does not have authority to sanction any political party for inappropriate behavior. It received eight interparty complaints and seven intraparty complaints during the year and acted as a mediator to address the problems. The PPRC can use only moral suasion to convince persons and parties to act according to agreed-upon guidelines, such as the parties’ constitutions.
The PPRC provided material assistance such as vehicles, computers, office supplies, and Internet connectivity, funded by the UN Development Program, to political parties to assist them with campaigning. However, a party must have met certain requirements to receive such assistance, including representation in parliament, visible political activity for at least two years, membership in the All Political Parties Women’s Association and the All Political Parties Youth Association, and participation in a National Election Commission-sponsored by-election since 2008.
A parallel system of tribal government, headed by a paramount chief, operated in each of 149 chiefdoms. The paramount chief is elected for a life term. Candidates for the position are limited to members of local ruling houses. Only tribal authorities (those who collected local taxes from at least 20 taxpayers) were allowed to vote for paramount chief, and in the North only men could be designated as tribal authorities. Although paramount chiefs’ authority exists independently of the central government and local councils, they frequently displayed party affiliations, were influenced by the party in power, and allegedly influenced the votes of their constituents. In turn, political parties were known to interfere with elections of paramount chiefs. The election of paramount chiefs at times exacerbated ethnic tensions.
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