By Kelvin Jay
Tensions between the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) and National Elections Watch (NEW) have reportedly deepened following the controversy surrounding the 2023 General Elections, with NEW accusing the Commission of deliberate exclusion and attempts to silence independent election observers.
Following the 2023 polls, NEW Chairperson, Marcella Samba Sesay, publicly stated that no presidential candidate secured the constitutionally required 55 percent of the vote in the first round. This position directly contradicted the declaration by ECSL that President Julius Maada Bio had won the election with over 55 percent of the votes cast. NEW’s stance, according to observers, has since strained its relationship with the electoral body.
Speaking during a televised programme, NEW National Coordinator, Reverend James Lahai, alleged that ECSL has consistently refused to engage with the organisation since 2023, despite repeated invitations.
“From 2023 to date, ECSL has not attended any of our programmes, even though invitations have always been extended to them,” Rev. Lahai stated.
He further alleged that during a recent Paramount Chieftaincy election, NEW observers were ordered out of the election hall on the grounds that they were not accredited. According to him, there had never been a precedent for accrediting observers for chieftaincy elections—an action he described as unprecedented and discriminatory.
Rev. Lahai characterised the move as a deliberate attempt to silence NEW, arguing that it undermines inclusivity and transparency in the electoral process. He accused ECSL of systematically sidelining the election monitoring body from election-related activities, which he said runs counter to democratic principles.
He further claimed that ECSL has excluded NEW from all its programmes and official activities, describing the situation as a continuation of what he termed the Commission’s hostile posture towards NEW since 2023.
“NEW, an election observation body that has monitored elections in Sierra Leone since 2002, has been sidelined by ECSL since 2023,” he said, warning that such practices pose serious risks to the country’s democratic future. “If this continues, our country is heading for doom.”
Rev. Lahai also criticised the leadership of ECSL, alleging that the Commissioners now act as though they “own the Commission,” despite it being a state institution established to manage electoral processes in the best interest of the nation, with a mandate to ensure inclusivity, transparency, and accountability.
He argued that the alleged marginalisation of NEW mirrors the treatment the organisation faced during the 2023 elections and warned that the absence of accountability has emboldened ECSL to continue what he described as malignment and exclusion of independent electoral observers.
