AYV News, August 4, 2023
His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has appointed Hon. Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh to lead a National Electoral Systems Review Committee that will be established to assess the planning and management of the 2023 electoral cycle and improve Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone’s (EC-SL) continued planning and conduct of transparent and fair elections.
With over ten years of experience as an elections expert at the United Nations, VP Jalloh’s technical expertise and people management skills are seen as vital assets to fulfilling President Bio’s vision of enhancing the work of elections management bodies, including the EC-SL.
President Bio said the June 24th multi-tier elections identified some logistical limitations that were, however, assessed as not negatively impacting the overall outcome of the elections. The National Electoral Systems Review Committee’s objective President Bio said, will be two-fold:
To review the prevailing legal framework, related institutional and operational arrangements, and local and international observer missions’ reports and to propose key reforms for institutionalising the recommendations to enhance the operations of the entire electoral architecture in Sierra Leone.
He said the National Electoral Systems Review Committee, with a broad membership of the Government, Development Partners, Civil Society and Professional Organisations, will be led by the Honourable Vice President and supported by an ad-hoc Technical Secretariat.
The key deliverable of the Review Committee will be an Electoral Systems Review Report that will lay the foundation for critical reforms in the electioneering process with reference to the EC-SL and all other EMBs in Sierra Leone.
“My last administration fully supported the EC-SL and other related Election Management Bodies (EMBs). The EC-SL has a Constitutional mandate supplemented by the Public Elections Act 2022 for planning and conducting public elections in Sierra Leone. My Government remains committed to ensuring that State institutions undertake their mandates efficiently”. President Bio assured.
