Sierra Leone’s Electoral Body announces June 24th as the date for 2023 Presidential elections

By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma Sierra Leone goes to the poll next year, and citizens in that country will be making a choice between voting in a new government or either retaining the current government of Julius Maada Bio. The West African nation will be going into elections at a time, the country is facing its worst economic hardship in decades with inflation, unemployment, hikes in fuel prices are among the many challenges the citizens are faced with thus the news of a new date for the next elections was greeted with so much anxiety as people will once again speak their voices through the ballot to vote in the leaders that will manned their affairs in the next five years to come. On Monday, the country’s National Electoral body announced that June 24^th June, 2023 would be the date for the 2023 Presidential elections in the country after just days of the release of the date for the legislative and local council elections dates by the government. ‘’In exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 43 of the Public Elections Act, 2012 ) , the Electoral Commission for   Sierra Leone  (ECSL)  , after consultation with His Excellency the President  of the Republic of Sierra Leone here by makes the following proclamation, that the 24^th day of June ,2023 , is here by proclaimed  as the time  for the election of the office of the president of the Republic of Sierra Leone,’’ a statement from the country’s electoral body said. It could be recalled that on 11^th March, a notice from the office of the press secretary and presidential spokesman announced that the president in consultation with the country’s electoral body has appointed the 20^th May 2023 for the election of paramount chief, members of parliament and 24^th June 2023 for the elections of ordinary members of parliament and local council respectively. ‘’The general public is here by informed that in exercise of the powers conferred upon the president under section 22 of the Public Elections Act (No.4 of 2012, notice is hereby given that the electoral commission for Sierra Leone intends to register eligible Sierra Leoneans from 3^rd September 2022- 4^th October 2022 in respect of the Presidential, Parliamentary, Local Council and Village Head elections to be held in 2023,’’a statement from the office of the press secretary and presidential spokesman said. It added that the Biometric technology and fixed registration centres shall be used to capture both the biographic and biometric data of eligible voters. ‘’The electoral commission for Sierra Leone shall publish notices in form A of the Second schedule of the public elections Act 2012 (Act No.4 of 2012) On 31^st March inviting eligible voters to present themselves for registration in the wards in respect of which notices are published’’