Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio Leads Re-election Race, Election Commission Reports

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio appeared to be on track for re-election as the electoral commission reported that he held a clear lead with 60 percent of the votes counted.




Bio secured 55.86 percent of the ballots cast, surpassing the 55 percent threshold required for victory in the first round of voting held on Saturday. The incumbent president garnered 1,067,666 votes, placing him well ahead of his main rival, Samura Kamara, who received 793,751 votes or 41.53 percent, according to the commission.

The final results were expected to be announced within 48 hours, stated Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, the election commission chief. Approximately 3.4 million people were registered to vote in Saturday's election.

While twelve men and one woman competed for the presidency, Bio's primary challenger was Kamara from the All People's Congress (APC). In 2018, Bio, a former coup leader in the 1990s, narrowly defeated Kamara in a runoff. During his first civilian term, the 59-year-old president has prioritized education and women's rights.

Kamara, aged 72 and a former foreign and finance minister, is currently facing a prolonged trial on charges of misappropriating public funds during his tenure as foreign minister. He claims that the case is politically motivated.

Although the election was mostly peaceful, security forces forcefully dispersed opposition supporters at the APC party headquarters in Freetown on Sunday night. By Monday, calm had been restored, but an APC spokesman reported that a woman had been killed during the unrest. The spokesperson explained that the woman, who worked as a nurse in the party's medical unit, was found on the ground floor. The victim's son, Ibrahim Conteh, identified her body at the morgue and called for justice.

While the police did not confirm the death, they acknowledged using tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd, which was causing disturbances. Witnesses described the incident as terrifying, with live rounds allegedly being fired. Reporters who visited the APC headquarters observed bloodstains and bullet holes. Hannah, a party secretary, recounted the traumatic experience and expressed her distress at the sudden outbreak of violence.

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