As the people of Sierra Leone anxiously await the final election results by the National Electoral Commission (NEC), the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) yesterday commended both the Political Parties and NEC for their role in the just-concluded elections.
According to the Chairman of PPRC, Justice Tholla Thompson, pursuant to their constitutional and statutory mandates, PPRC was able to deploy 60 personnel including Commissioners to monitor the conduct of political parties in the multi-tier elections conducted by NEC on 17th November 2012, adding that PPRC worked in collaboration with District Code Monitoring Committees (DCMCs) in all the administrative districts of the country, with a view to bolster the Commission’s monitoring capacity, based on the Political Parties Act, the Code of Conduct for Political Parties, the Electoral Laws Act and Rules and Regulations governing the elections.
Based on reports received, on the whole, the political parties conducted their affairs peacefully and within the law and Code of Conduct for Political Parties, which contributed to the peaceful outcome of the elections.
He said that as the Commission continues to appeal to all political parties to maintain the peace and maintain camaraderie during the post-election period, they (PPRC) are urging all political parties to show restrain by not engaging in any action that would mar the peaceful outcome of the election and the accolade gained by all political parties. Chairman Justice Thompson disclosed that, the Commission is satisfied with the management of the elections by NEC that largely contributed to the good conduct of all party operatives on Election day, noting that the Commission observed a few isolated irregularities, such as late opening of polling stations and late supply of voting materials in a number of polling stations but such irregularities did not in any form undermine the credibility of the entire election countrywide.
The Commission noted a large turnout of local and international observers who helped in monitoring the elections and contributed to the credible nature of the vote cast, he said, explaining that in general, it was observed that voting process was orderly and calm, as he expressed thanks and appreciation to the public for orderly behaviour throughout the voting period, as the level of civility expressed on election day is commendable.
In response to various questions, Justice Tholla Thompson disclosed that the Commission has nothing to do with elections result but with the conduct of political parties as all result-related issues and malpractices should be addressed to NEC for appropriate actions, adding that political parties should wait for the final publication of election results by NEC that has the mandate to perform such functions.
Representing the Citizen Democratic Party (CDP) in the briefing, Gibril Thullah, Secretary-General of the party, disclosed that they are willing to accept the result that will be published by NEC and urged other political parties to do likewise, as the foreign observers have described the elections as free, fair and credible, meeting international standards.
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