Freetown, Sierra Leone – October 28, 2023
The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (EC-SL) has released its end of polls statement following the successful conduct of Village Head Elections in the Western Area Rural District on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
In accordance with the authority vested in it by Section 33 of the Sierra Leone Constitution (Act No 6 of 1991), and the provisions of Section 93, 105, and 108 of the Public Election Act 2022 (Act No 17 of 2022), as well as the Western Area Rural District Council (Establishment) Order 2005 and (Establishment Amendment) Order 2016, the EC-SL oversaw the Village Head Elections in the Western Area Rural District.
A total of 663 out of 668 polling stations in 88 villages saw voters participating in a peaceful and orderly manner. However, it is worth noting that polling was canceled at polling center 15327, Mile 13 Sussex Kingtom, due to the misplacement of the polling center.
Throughout the election process, candidate agents were present at all polling stations, and the presence of security forces, including the Sierra Leone Police, RSLAF, and ONS, was visible at all polling centers.
The elections were also observed by various organizations, including the Elections Observation Network (EON), Sierra Leone Civil Rights Coalition (SLRC), International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), and Diaspora Focus.
Voting in the entire Western Area Rural District concluded at 5:00 p.m. on October 28, 2023, and the process of counting votes is currently underway at all 667 polling stations.
The results of the Village Head Elections will be tallied at the EC-SL National Tally Centre in Wellington on Monday, October 30, 2023, commencing at 10 a.m. A detailed timeline for the tally process will be published in due course.
Accredited candidate agents and observers are invited to participate in and witness the tally process. Provisional results for all the Village Head Elections will be announced after the tallying of results at the EC-SL National Tally Centre in Wellington, Freetown.
The date for the announcement of the final and certified election results will be communicated to the public at a later date.
