By Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr
Sierra Leone’s Constitutional Amendment Bill will soon be voted on by parliamentarians. As I have previously written, the significance of this vote cannot be overstated.
In my opinion, the two most important clauses in the Bill are in respect of the electoral system and the threshold for winning presidential elections.
Public opinion, through the positions of civil society, the Labour Congress, religious leaders and traditional rulers, clearly favours the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system which will ensure that all communities (at both ward and constituency levels) are able to choose, engage and hold accountable their own representatives in Local Councils and in Parliament.
Contrary to the argument made for the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system, its use in the 2023 general elections resulted in a reduction in the representation of political parties and independent Members of Parliament (MPs) in Parliament; dropping from 4 political parties and 3 independent MPs under the FPTP 2018 general elections to just 2 political parties and no independent MPs under the 2023 PR electoral system.
Furthermore, with regards female political participation, a 30% quota for female MPs and Councillors can be achieved under the FPTP electoral system, the PR electoral system is not required to achieve this.
As a female politician, I can attest to the fact that female political participation will also increase with a reduction in the political intimidation, harassment and targeting of female politicians.
In respect to the threshold for winning presidential elections, the introduction in the Bill of a minimum percentage of district votes risks creating negative incentives for expelling minority voters from certain districts, thus fuelling violence before and during elections.
A district specific element should not be added to the presidential threshold.
The passing of the Constitutional Amendment Bill will significantly impact the future of democracy in our nation.
I urge all MPs to vote for Sierra Leone; reject the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system and retain the existing presidential threshold at 55% nationwide.
