Sierra Leone National Electoral Commission held to account as elections loom 

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 29 November 2017

There are worrying reports from Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Finance, regarding a leaked letter from the ministry to the National Electoral Commission (NEC), calling on the NEC to account for Billions of Leones funding, issued to the NEC to cover its weekly expenditure.

According to the letter, the Ministry is investigating or “ascertaining” how the commission has spent monies allocated in the last six months in preparation for the presidential and general elections that are due on 7th March 2017.

In the last few months, there have been reports of ruling APC party shenanigans, aimed at scuppering the timely holding of those elections, including – calling the validity of the registered voter list published by the NEC into question.

There are suspicions that although president Koroma has vowed to leave office in accordance with the country’s Constitution after his final term of office next November, he is hard at work behind the scenes plotting to extend his term of office.

The country’s opposition parties and civil society groups have vowed to take to the streets in all out protest, should the president succeed in disrupting plans for the smooth holding of elections on 7th March 2018.

Critics say that the finance ministry has conveniently failed in its duty to hold the NEC accountable for its budget spending much sooner. This they say is part of the ruling party’s plans to cancel next year’s elections.

This is the finance ministry’s letter sent to the NEC:

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