Sylvia Blyden versus the EU Elections Observation Mission: An explainer
The High Court of Sierra Leone on Thursday, 7th May, dismissed a lawsuit by politician Sylvia Olayinka Blyden against the Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) in the 2023 general elections, Elvin Incir and other senior officers. Ms Incir and her colleagues were named in the defamation lawsuit in which Blyden […]
Going after National Elections Watch is a very bad idea
In an unprecedented and controversial move, Parliament this week decided to set up a special committee to investigate National Elections Watch (NEW), a large coalition of civil society organisations and the country’s leading election observer body. The motion was introduced by two ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) members, Mustapha Sellu and Ambrose Lebby, and […]
The callisthenics of governance in Sierra Leone: SLPP’s PR-mandering development versus the people’s defiant poverty
Sierra Leone’s political landscape has been dominated by two political parties since independence: The Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC). Despite towering promises of progress and growth, neither party’s delivery has matched their pledges to deliver sustainable socio-economic development for the complete emancipation and development of the people. Sadly, they […]
Cost of Politics Report-Sierra Leone
Engage Salone collaborated with the Westminster Foundation in 2024 to conduct a study assessing the financial costs of politics in Sierra Leone. This research indicates that the high cost of politics in Sierra Leone, driven by expensive election campaigns, vote-buying, and the need to fund social obligations, severely hinders the participation of women, youths, and […]
Will a state-led electoral systems review offer the desired outcomes?
On Thursday, the new Parliament of Sierra Leone was officially convened in what is known as a State Opening. This comes amidst the ongoing political stalemate and a boycott by the main opposition, the All People’s Congress (APC). At the State Opening, the President, Julius Maada Bio, announced that a committee would be set up […]