The Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) and the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) have jointly urged political parties’ leaders to roundly condemn all forms of threats to and intimidation of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (EC-SL) and other Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs).
The two institutions in a joint press statement said they monitored the campaign activities of political parties contesting the 24th June, 2023 elections for the past twenty days and observed the defilement of children, singing and dancing to profane and insulting songs in front of His Excellency the President and the Hon. Vice President’s campaign postal.
In addition, “we observe the pronouncement of results even before elections are conducted, the persistent harassment and intimidation of Commissioners and personnel of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone and other Election Management Bodies.
“The intemperate and scathing comments against political opponents, intermittent confrontation and disruption of the campaign activities of political opponents in some parts of the provinces, defiant flouting of security directives and guidance from the police, on routes to and from campaign designated locations, by political parties and their candidates, leading to otherwise avoidable confrontations.
“The persistent calls for illegal protests by faceless persons and threats of unlawful disruption of the pending Polls”.
The institutions went on that these unfortunate happenings do not only have the proclivity of derailing the gains they have all collectively made, but also have the effect of stoking conflict, undermining democratic processes, weaponising segments of the public against state institutions and officials, compromising public safety and public morality and reneging on the peace pledge recently signed by the leadership of the contesting political parties and their presidential candidates.
The statement said responding to complaints received by the PPRC from the EC-SL, APC and SLPP, bordering around the above, a dialogue meeting was convened on Friday 9th June 2023, with a view to addressing those complaints and discussing all of the aforementioned emerging issues.
“We therefore jointly call on all political parties participating in the pending elections to roundly condemn all forms of threats to and intimidation of the EC-SL and other EMBs, dissociate themselves from and denounce all calls for unlawful protests and disruption of the Polls, be temperate in their utterances and tolerant in their campaigns, with messages of a national character and finally act in the spirit of the peace pledge they recently signed,” the joint statement stated.
