Sierra Leoneans vote in election with cost-of-living centre stage

[June 24, 2023]  By Cooper Inveen and Umaru Fofana

FREETOWN (Reuters) -Voting was underway in Sierra Leone on Saturday in a national election which the main opposition party hopes will see public frustration with deep economic hardship foil President Julius Maada Bio's re-election bid.

About 3.4 million people are expected to vote in the presidential and legislative ballot after a campaign marred by tensions that led to the cancellation of rallies in the final stages and clashes at an opposition gathering on Wednesday.

Bio, 59, is running for a second term against 12 opponents. The race is expected to be close between the incumbent and Samura Kamara of the main opposition All People's Congress (APC), who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018.

While no leader in office has lost the presidency in the West African nation's recent history, the APC has banked on an enduring cost-of-living crisis tipping the balance in its favour. Inflation soared to its highest level in over 20 years in 2022, while the national Leone currency slumped 60% in value.

Hundreds waited in line at a polling station in a hilltop district of the capital Freetown, including first-time voter Abu Koroma, 23, who arrived in darkness two hours before polls opened.

"We have been yearning for change," he said, still in line by mid-morning. "We've had different leaders since gaining independence, but we are yet to have sustainable electricity, sustainable health, all these things a young person like me needs."

The current downturn has stalled hopes of economic progress in the wake of the devastating Ebola epidemic that peaked in 2014 and the 1991-2002 civil war. Widespread underemployment persists with over half of the population living in poverty, according to the World Bank.

People wait to cast their votes for the national election at a polling station in Freetown, Sierra Leone, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Cooper Inveen

Bio's camp blames the economic malaise on external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. His chances have been boosted by the support of another opposition leader, Kandeh Yumkella, who came third in 2018 and is not running this time.

Two days ahead of the vote, Information Minister Mohamed Rahman Swaray said if Bio retains the presidency, he will focus on job creation and agricultural development to kickstart growth and improve living standards.

"We will do a lot more things to ensure people are comfortable," he told Reuters in an interview in a Freetown cafe.

Unusually violent protests last year over rising prices have raised fears of political unrest. Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters ahead of election day, while the APC's recent questioning of the independence of election officials has raised tensions.

Both sides have called for calm. But there are concerns the situation could deteriorate, particularly if no candidate secures 55% of votes cast, triggering a runoff between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the first-round results.

On Friday, Kamara told Reuters he was concerned about the possibility of vote-rigging. Asked if he would accept the outcome the vote, he said: "It's not me. The acceptance has to come from the people ... so it is the people we will listen to."

(Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Ros Russell)

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