Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 28 July 2026:
Sierra Leone’s Constitutional Amendments Bill will be voted on by parliamentarians today. The significance of this vote cannot be overstated. In my opinion, the two most important clauses in the Bill are in respect of the electoral system and the threshold for winning presidential elections.
Public opinion, through the position of civil society, religious leaders and traditional rulers, clearly favours the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system which will ensure that all communities (at both ward and constituency levels) are able to choose and have their own representatives in Local Councils and in Parliament.
With respect to the threshold for winning presidential elections, the introduction in the Bill of a minimum percentage of district votes will create negative incentives for expelling minority voters from certain districts, thus fuelling violence before and during elections.
A district specific element should not be added to the presidential threshold.
Today is a historic day that will significantly impact the future of democracy in our nation. I urge all Members of Parliament to vote for Sierra Leone; reject the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system and retain the existing presidential threshold at 55% nationwide.
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