President of Sierra Leone re-elected

President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone won a second term with 56.17% of the vote, according to the president of the electoral commission, who made the announcement on Tuesday after the opposition contested the results.

According to final results announced in Freetown by commission chief Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, his primary rival Samura Kamara finished in second with 41.16%.

The opposition All People’s Congress (APC), which denounced in a statement on Monday the purported lack of inclusivity, openness, and responsibility on the part of the electoral commission, had already contested the results of the vote tally.

The party cited the absence of information indicating which polling places or districts the ballots originated from.

It had stated that it “will not accept these fabricated and manufactured results.”

The party “continues to reject” the “fabricated results” and “reaffirms our victory,” according to a later statement that made claims of “overvoting” in several places.

European Union monitors claimed during a Monday night press conference that the lack of communication and transparency by the electoral body had contributed to voter mistrust.

In addition to three polling places during the closing and counting phases, the monitors reported seeing violence at seven polling places during voting hours.