RC's Statement Speech - Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Systems Dialogue

The United Nations recognizes the significance of holding inclusive dialogue with various stakeholders which is a democratic process to generate the public’s consensus on various critical and contentious aspects of legislative and electoral reforms.   

Through the years, Sierra Leone has made considerable progress in strengthening the national legislation, however, the recent examination of the electoral systems and processes identified the need to sustain these reforms for further improvement of electoral operation systems in conformity with international electoral standards and good practices.  

We welcome the Government’s efforts to accelerate the implementation of the recommendations and organization of nationwide inclusive consultations for the adoption of an electoral system pertinent to the governance and economic development of the country.  

I trust, today’s consultations will offer a range of practical proposals for discussions, thus, I urge all stakeholders to constructively interrogate the merits and demerits of the various options to ensure informed decisions on the choice of electoral system to be adopted.  

I also urge pertinent stakeholders to expeditiously act on the adoption of the electoral system to allow the election management bodies to commence the preparation for upcoming elections, but more importantly, to provide sufficient time for raising awareness on the adopted electoral system and its operational features for the informed participation of stakeholders in the electoral process. 

The United Nations in Sierra Leone continues providing technical electoral assistance to state institutions in the implementation of the Cross-Party Committee recommendations, and requisite support to the Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat for citizen engagement. 

The partnership will continue for consolidation of electoral reforms in close cooperation with development partners who, over the years, made considerable contributions towards improving the electoral processes in Sierra Leone.  

We deeply appreciate their contributions and continuous coordination around the electoral technical assistance. 

In the end of my remarks, I would to inform you that while waiting for the recently conducted UN Needs Assessment Mission directions on new technical electoral assistance, the UN will support the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone in the implementation of the Cross-Party Committee recommendations with the primary focus on strengthening the voter registration and electoral results management systems, and assist the Tripartite Steering Committee Secretariat in promoting public awareness on constitutional and legislative reforms.  

Thank you and I wish you a very successful deliberation.