By Hasbin Shaw in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Millions of Sierra Leoneans are awaiting the outcome of their votes cast in the March 7th elections. Freetown to Bo to Makena, thousands of Sierra Leoneans queued up at various polling centers to exercise their franchise and elect their national leaders, including the President of the nation.
This is the fourth democratically election in Sierra Leone organized by the country’s National Electoral Commission (NEC). Observers say the process has proven to be credible and peaceful polling day in the history of Sierra Leone electoral process.
Our Sierra Leone Correspondent said the Wednesday, March 7, 2018 presidential and general elections started at 7:00am local time at most polling center across the country. Citizens in a few polling centers located in some villages started casting their ballots at approximately 9:00am local time. Election observer sources said the delay was due to late deployment of polling agents.
Analyses made by Election Observation Teams and in several radios and television programs across the country applauded the turnout and conducts of electorates, as well as polling agents who oversaw the polling process throughout.
However, there were few incidents of attempted voting irregularities that took place in Western Urban and Mile 91 during the balloting process. Sources told our Correspondent that minor incidents took place in Western Urban (low-cost, east end of Freetown). Community people claimed that an official of Constituency 118 of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) party made attempt to manipulate situations when he went to cast his ballot, which took him long in the polling station.
The police later intervened in the matter and asked him to leave the center. Another incident at Mile 91 involved an agent of the National Grand Coalition who was caught attempting to cast ballot twice. The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC) reported the police took control and detained the Grand Coalition agent.
Speaking to one of the polling agents, Mohamed Syllah, said in an interview at the United Methodist Church (UMC) in constituency that the polling process in their center was peaceful as he had never seen an electoral process that is well organized and calm as this.
He added that ”National Electoral Commission’s polling agents and all other agents in all polling center across the country have gone through the processes of compiling the results which include screening, verification, reconciliation, sorting and counting.
