Sierra Leone

On 24 June, general elections were held in Sierra Leone to elect the president and members of Parliament. The results are as follows:

Electoral results

Julius Maada Bio: Sierra Leone People's Party, 1,566,932 votes, 56.17%
Samura Kamara: All People's Congress, 1,148,262 votes, 41.16%
Mohamed Bah: National Democratic Alliance, 21,620 votes, 0.77%
Charles Margai: People's Movement for Democratic Change, 16,012 votes, 0.57%
Nabieu Kamara: Peace and Liberation Party, 7,717 votes, 0.28%
Abdulahi Saccoh: Revolutionary United Front, 6,796 votes, 0.24%
Prince Coker: People's Democratic Party, 5,981 votes, 0.21%
Iye Kakay: Alliance Democratic Party, 4,336 votes, 0.16%
Saa Kabuta: United National People's Party, 4,059 votes, 0.15%
Beresford Williams: Republic National Independent Party, 2,692 votes, 0.10%
Mohamed Jonjo: Citizen's Democratic Party, 2,367 votes, 0.08%
Mohamed Sowa-Turay: United Democratic Movement, 1,665 votes, 0.06%
Jonathan Sandy: National Unity and Reconciliation Party, 1,369 votes, 0.05%

About the electoral system

The President of Sierra Leone is chosen through a modified version of the two-round system. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive more than 55% of the vote in the first round. If this threshold is not met, a second round is held two weeks after the announcement of the first-round result.

Regarding the Parliament, Members of Parliament are elected in 16 multi-member constituencies that align with the Districts of Sierra Leone. The method used is proportional representation through the largest remainder method, employing the Hare quota. This system was established in October 2022 through a presidential decree issued by Julius Maada Bio, replacing the previous first-past-the-post system that had been in place since 2008. Independent candidates can participate and secure seats if they surpass the required quota in a constituency. Additionally, there are 16 seats that are not elected and are instead reserved for paramount chiefs, with one seat allocated per district. The Supreme Court of Sierra Leone has deemed the decree that changed the electoral system constitutional.
Source: BBC - Sierra Leone plans controversial return to old voting system

Selected articles

Sierra Leone’s Bio re-elected as president, avoids run-off, 27 June, (Al Jazeera)

Sierra Leone’s president takes early lead in tense election race, 26 June, (CNN)

Sierra Leone’s president wins second term without need for runoff, election commission announces, 27 June, (AP News)