A manual guide which seeks to address elections related disputes has been launched during a seminar on Alternative Electoral Dispute Resolution Mechanism in Freetown.
Commissioner Simitie Lavaly in her presentation stated that the guide will help to sensitive the people about the legal administrative channels and also help raise awareness on non-judicial and judicial channels that exists for the resolving of election-related disputes.
She furthered that the guide covers the key complaints concerns that may arise before, during and after elections geared towards promoting peaceful or violence-free elections by using appropriate legal channels for resolving disputes.
The Executive Director of the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law – Sierra Leone (CARL-SL), Ibrahim Tommy, said the guide covers the key concerns that may arise before, during and after elections and how such complaints can be resolved with the objective to help increase knowledge about the administrative or non-judicial channels that exist for resolving electoral disputes in the country.
He explained that funds were in place to implement a project aimed at promoting meaningful policy-based elections and an effective administration of electoral justice.
He underscored that under the Project, they will focus extensively on promoting effective and credible administration of electoral justice by promoting knowledge about an alternative to agitation in addressing electoral justice.
He said campaigns have been largely peaceful, although their monitors have observed incidents of politically-motivated Violence in some parts of the country.
He maintained that, however, in the guide they have identified potential election-related complaints as well as the institutions established by law to resolve them and that these institutions include the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, the Political Parties Registration Commission, the Sierra Leone Police, the Independent Police Complaints Board, the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Ombudsman among others.
