Koroma, wins Sierra Leone's presidential polls

THE presidential election in Sierra Leone has been won by the opposition candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma, election officials announced yesterday. However, the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) has rejected the results.
According to the results announced by the country's election commission, Koroma received 55 per cent of the votes as against 45 per cent by the ruling party candidate, Vice President Solomon Berewa.

President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah was barred by law from running for a third five-year term.

About 2.6 million of Sierra Leone's five million people registered to vote. A simple majority was necessary for victory.

The ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) at the weekend rejected the vote results of a tense presidential run-off that had put opposition candidate Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) ahead.

It said it would seek a court injunction to prevent any more results from the being published, adding that those announced so far were not credible.

"We are filing an injunction ... at the high court," SLPP spokesman, Victor Reider, according to Reuters, was quoted as saying, adding that he wanted the court to stop the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from publishing any more results.

"We are doing this over discrepancies in the figures which have been announced regarding the results of the run-off elections," he said.

A NEC spokeswoman denied the SLPP claims and said it would continue to publish results as it got them.

The polls are seen as a test of the former British colony's recovery from a 1991 to 2002 civil war, one of modern Africa's most brutal in which 50,000 people were killed and children were kidnapped, drugged and forced to fight.

They were the first since UN peacekeepers left two years ago.

President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, who is standing down under the constitution after two terms, is backing Berewa. Were Koroma to win it would mark the first peaceful transfer of power to an opposition party since independence.

Some SLPP supporters say the NEC was deliberately withholding results from the ruling party's southern and eastern strongholds. Armed Police had to disperse protesters who gathered outside the NEC offices at the weekend holding up placards demanding "fair results".

Clashes during the campaign period raised tensions in the West African country but election observers have so far commended the NEC's efforts as broadly transparent and credible.

They have, however, expressed concern over localised reports of ballot stuffing, fraud and intimidation and the NEC has vowed to invalidate results from all polling stations where turnout is higher than 100 per cent.

Thorpe said on Thursday last week that the authorities were investigating reports of irregularities and complaints from both political parties.

The election is seen as a test of Sierra Leone ability to stand on its own.

You see,our neighbours are only involved in moderate riggingMeddeen,please react

Firstly, I can confirm to you that the ruling SLPP government has conceded defeat and they have accepted the results. As a matter of fact, the newly elected president was sworn in today and our new president is his excellency Ernest Bai Koroma.

Secondly, the SLPP government did all with in their powers to remain in office but the determination of Sierra Leoneans was a major factor in their defeat. In a survey before the election, 4 out every 5 adults interviewed in Freetown wanted the SLPP out of power. I definitely wanted them out because of their mismanagement, corruption and embezzlement. Frankly, we've had enough of them. Their entire cabinet is made up of highly educated folks with lots of PHDs but they're also highly corrupt and experts in the art of embezzling state funds. Do you know that the SLPP government and their supporters even prevented the opposition from sending representatives to monitor the votes in their strongholds? But the will of the people was too strong to overcome.

Finally, the alleged demonstration being mentioned in the article was actually an attempt to set the office of the National Electoral Commission on fire. But for the bravery of the security forces including the army, violence would have erupted once again in Sierra Leone. On Sunday, the SLPP were claiming that even the Sierra Leone army had now turned against them. They were expecting the army to aid their cause, but having seen the determination of the general public, the army decided to remain neutral even though President Kabbah was still their commander and chief.

In summary, the SLPP fought with everything they had, but the wind of change had already taken its effect and the result is a new government. I'm not so keen on the APC but my goodness, did we need change.

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"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

Here's how the campaigning went on Sierra Leone style.
Not the crowd that turned out to support Koroma during his campaign. They are the guys in red at the National stadium.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/wor...leone.rally.ap

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"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

meddeen when are we moving Back HOME???

I just hope that this will not spark another violence, but rather a peaceful transition. I wish them luck.

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Psalm 34 vrs. 19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

Mr. Spinner keeps spinning. Please put a sock in it for once.

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God first, family second and career third.
www.marykay.com/adanna

When the time is right.
But come to think of it, my mom, dad and sister are all in England, so it will be like living my family behind. You get?

__________________
"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

The transition has already occurred and it was a peaceful one. Check out the link to see the swearing in ceremony and the loser congratulating the winner.

http://www.cocorioko.net/tuesdayseptember18p2.html

__________________
"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

Thank God for that then. Sierra Leone has suffered so much, and it's time for them to enjoy peace and tranquility.

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Psalm 34 vrs. 19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

Brilliant analysisI pray that the will for change by the people is sustained by the tools of change-the new government.Because,in Africa,experience has shown that those outside of power are better alternatives untill they step in

You're right bro. But the unique thing in this whole fiasco is that Sierra Leoneans are no longer willing to give politicians a second chance if they don't perform. Five years ago, the SLPP won over 70% of the votes at the 2002 elections. But five years later, the people decided they've had enough. If Koroma doesn't perform, you can be rest assured that he'll be kicked out in five years time. And if he tries anything silly like rigging the election, Sierra Leoneans (as volatile as they are) will forcefully kick him out of office. The youths are determined to set the politicians straight.

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"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

Question is;are the youths straight?Remember that politicians are products of the society they come from.Lets watch and pray