Independent observers from the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) noticed “statistical inconsistencies” in the presidential election that declared incumbent President Julius Maada Bio the winner. According to Reuters, the EUEOM asked the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) to publish the results of each voting station in the interests of transparency. Chief electoral commissioner of the ECSL Mohamed Kenewui Konneh told Reuters that the results for each voting station would be published in due time. As per Reuters, “the EUEOM said in a statement that there were inconsistencies between the first and second batch of presidential results, including "notable discrepancies in the number of average valid votes per voting state.” The EUEOM also said that it noticed “a strikingly low number of invalid ballots nationwide.” According to the European Union External Action, “throughout the electoral process, the ECSL lacked clear, timely, and comprehensive communication with the broader public, creating uncertainties and reducing stakeholders’ trust.” The NGO also noticed that as election day approached, “politically motivated attacks shrank the space of political participation in several districts.” Bio allegedly won 56% of the vote to his main challenger Samura Kamara, who supposedly won only 41%. The published results of the election therefore allow Bio to narrowly avoid a runoff with Kamara. Kamara rejects the results.
