AYV News, August 10, 2023
The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (EC-SL) has concluded its Post-Election Evaluation’ retreat in Bo city.
The retreat brought together Commissioners and staff of the Commission across the country for a thorough reflection on the conduct of the 2023 multi-tier elections as well as looking at areas the Commission performed and under-performed.
Chief Electoral Commissioner and National Returning Officer of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, Mohamed K. Konneh recalled that in August 2020, he promised the nation that he would like to oversee the conduct of elections in a peaceful atmosphere where his children will be attending school and everyone going about their normal businesses.
He appreciated the Commissioners and staff of the Commission for their dedication, hardwork and unwavering commitments to help this promise come true and also for playing crucial roles in ensuring the smooth conduct of the democratic process and upholding the values that bind the nation together despite the inter and intra suspicions.
The EC-SL chief informed the gathering that throughout the election period, the Commission faced expected and unexpected challenges but that against all odds, they stood firm and carried out their responsibilities with integrity and fairness.
Mr. Konneh said: “It is our duty to critically assess our performance, identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our electoral processes continually. We are all aware that every election has its own unique experience and this election is not an exception.
“Moreover, this is the first time we have conducted a PR system using the remainder method, this is the first time we have done electronic nomination and at the same time taking cognizance of 3 to 1 female representation,” he maintained.
“I further entreat you all to reflect on our Strategic Plan 2020-2024 and the processes leading to the June 2023 elections in order to pick out some pointers to successes, challenges and opportunities. I am confident that by the end of the day we will accomplish this task in a “SAFUL” way and together we will carry forward the lessons we have learned, embrace innovation, and continuously strive for excellence.”
He said the overall objective of the retreat is to help the Commission conduct a thorough reflection on the conduct of the 2023 multi-tier elections and look at areas where they did well or went wrong.
He said there is need to look at their deployment strategy to see how they can make it better, identify the necessary legal reforms to leverage the emerging technologies to secure the country’s electoral procedures and aid in making voter registration more accessible, improve the accuracy of vote counting, and enhance communication channels with the public.
He said the Commission also looked at how they should redouble their efforts in promoting voter education and stakeholders’ engagement, enhance management of resources and logistics accountably, build on the solid foundation of inclusivity in all aspects of their work by increasing accessibility to electoral processes, leaving no room for disenfranchisement and to maintain open channels of communication with political parties, civil society, and the public.
