𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐀 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐬 “𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 & 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞”

The All Political Parties Association (APPA) yesterday declared that the June 24 general elections conducted by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), “were free, fair, and credible.” The organization which comprised of 10 registered political parties across the country hailed the ECSL for their incredible work.

“We are well satisfied with the outcome of the elections that we all partook in,” the Chairman of APPA, Prince Coker declared at the ECSL Headquarters at Tower in Freetown on Monday.

He continued: “All of us contested this election to win, but we lost. ‘I would have loved to be the President’… In this room, there are two presidential candidates and two running mates in the last election.” He added thus: “Winning an election should not be seen as a do-or-die issue,” but rather, a “contest of ideas.”

Mr Coker also revealed that the leadership of APPA was part of the electioneering process and attended all the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) meetings where all decisions were made.

He also explained that during the June 24 elections, all political parties including smaller parties were given fair chances to deploy ECSL-accredited party agents on behalf of their parties in all polling stations across the country in a historic first.

“We accept the result of the election wholeheartedly because the election was free, fair, and credible,” said Mr Coker. “All these political parties had a level playing field to participate.”

He added: “This is one of the most credible, free, and fair elections” in the history of this country, which he said was made possible under the leadership of the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the ECSL, Mohamed K. Konneh, who Mr Coker said, created a level playing field for all the political parties involved.

Meanwhile, he called on those who lost to embrace what he described as “good sportsmanship” and create an atmosphere to discourage sentiments and work on their strategy in readiness for the next general elections.

For his part, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh revealed that to conduct elections peacefully where everybody will go about their normal occurrences and that the elections be credible and participatory, were the objectives the Commissioners at the ECSL set for themselves at the institution.

Mr Konneh also said it was good that many people of this country appreciated the fact that this was the first-time elections have been conducted and people were moving about their normal business, including cars and vehicles were applying all the routes, and the results were announced; the winners celebrated and the country continues to live in peace. Mr Konneh said that was the most important thing for all the Commissioners at the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone.

Unlike recent past elections, there was no court case which is the legal means if one thinks the process is fraught with irregularities. This according to Mr Konneh means: “we followed the law and people participated in the process.”