BBC Pidgin of Monday, 26 June 2023

Source: BBC

Sierra Leone election: Sierra Leone presidential election 2023 results update between Samura Kamara and Julius Maada Bio

Di election don hold for June 24 Di election don hold for June 24

Di Chief Electoral Commissioner of di Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), Mohamed Konneh, say dem go announce di official results of the kontri presidential election in di next 48 hours.

Oga Konneh tok dis one during one interview wit AYV on Monday, 26 June,

E confam say di commission don make progress so far in tallying di results across regional centers throughout di kontri.

E also add say di operation dey go on in a transparent manner as political party observers, media, international and national observers dey observe di electoral process.

In response to calls say make dem project di results across tallying centers, Konneh explain say di commission no make any provisions for projecting figures.

However, e tok say dem dey print out collated results and dem dey give data to observers for various stages of di process.

Sierra Leoneans eagerly dey wait for di results of di presidential election wey hold on 24 June, 2023.

E neva clear who dey lead for di presidential race between President Julius Maada Bio and im main rival, Samura Kamara, but both of dem don claim victory for di election.

Election observers don tell di kontri pipo to dey calm and wait for di official results. But pipo dey worry as dem neva announce di results.

Di European Union mission don ask di electoral commission to provide "full transparency during di tabulation of results" to ease tensions.

Di Carter Center also don express concern on top "reports wey show lack of transparency during parts of di tabulation process", di AFP news agency quote dem.

Di winner of di election must secure 55% of di valid votes cast, otherwise run-off go dey between di top two candidates two weeks afta di announcement of di results.

Sierra Leoneans eagerly dey wait for di results of di presidential election wey hold on 24 June, 2023.

13 candidates bin contest for di presidential seat, including di incumbent president, Julius Maada Bio, wey wan go for second term in office.

Di announcement of di election results dey expected to be significant milestone for di kontri, as e dey seek to maintain dia democratic stability and progress following years of political instability and civil war.

Timeline of wetin don happun since di election

Di voting start on Saturday, 24 June for polling stations across di kontri.

Plenty pipo bin turn out for di Saturday general election, voters tell BBC say di process dey smooth even though ballots open for late hours for many areas.

For some polling stations wia polls no open on time, voting continue until past 5:00pm to ensure say everybody wey dey queue vote. For some polling stations like St. Anns School, voting continue until 11:30pm and officials count di votes for di presence of party agents and observers.

For Western Rural, one detta police officer wey dem station for centre code 15012 R.E.C Primary School, Waterloo bin stop di counting of early voting.

Counting of votes don start for all regional tally centres since Monday morning.

Counting of early voting ballots no take place for Western Urban, Western Rural and Bombali districts sake of violence plus high level tension.

Reports of violence

Records of violence dey for dis year election compared to five years ago, according to di West Africa Network for Peace-building Sierra Leone. Dem don count 109 violent incidents since April.

Di leader of di All People's Congress, Samura Kamara, tok say dem fire live ammunition inside di party headquarters buildings.

E tok dis one during one news conference.

Oga Kamara say dat na assassination attempt.

However, sojas don surround di headquarters of di main opposition.

Last week, di APC bin claim say security forces kill one of dia supporters as dem gada for one protest for dia headquarters for Freetown on Wednesday.

Di police bin allege say di shots wey dey fired bin dey come from di direction of di APC building.

Dr Kamara also tok say im convoy bin come under attack and reports dey say dem set on fire APC office for di city of Bo last weekend.

Di SLPP bin tok say dem too face attacks for di opposition strongholds.

No be only political parties dey hear am for dis election, di electoral officers also dey chop beatings.

Di electoral commission tok say some of dia staff dem deploy for di election chop beatings and some of dia property dey damaged.

For inside statement, di commission say dem beat one presiding omcer for RC Primary School, dem beat two Election Coordinators, N'fah As. Bangura and Alex Sorie plus destroy di motor dem rent for di voting exercise.

Again for Port Loko, dem beat one female Election Coordinator, Mashiatu Conteh and she sustain injuries, for Tonkolili district, for Bendugu, for Sambuia Bendugu chiefdom, youths bin pour petrol for di body of one Election Coordinator, Ibrahim Conteh and wan set am on fire, na some community elders rescue am and among odas.

Supporters of both main parties don chop accuse say na dem dey attack opponents.

President Bio bin don call for "peaceful elections" and "no violence".

Di African Union don also express concerns over reported incidents of violence and intimidation for parts of di kontri.

Irregularities for di election

Accusations of irregularities don follow di Saturday election, dis na afta oga Kamara allege ballot stuffing and voter suppression for some parts of di kontri.

However, di electoral body bin insist for one press conference earlier dis week, say dem get mechanisms in place to ensure fair vote.

Local media bin report say dem arrest some pipo.

Di election dey take place against di background of a troubled economy, di rising cost of living, and concerns about national unity.

Di voters dey choose a president, MPs and councillors for di West African kontri fifth election since di civil war end for 2002.

How di election dey work?

Di APC don also express concerns about di transparency of di counting process and don cast doubt on di electoral commission ability to hold fair elections.

Di commission defend their self say dem don put measures in place to ensure credibility of di voting and counting process.

For dem to declare you winner of di presidential race, di leading candidate must secure 55% of di votes cast, otherwise dem go hold run-off between di two candidates wit di highest number of votes.