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Vol 67 No 5

Published 6th March 2026


Sierra Leone

New clash as Bio appoints election chief accused of bias

The President appears to be ignoring reforms agreed with the main opposition party

Political fault lines are widening ahead of national elections due by July 2028. The ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) are at loggerheads over President Julius Maada Bio’s choice of Edmond Sylvester Alpha as Chairman of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). The APC boycotted Alpha’s appearance before the parliamentary appointments committee on 25 February – citing his leading role in the disputed 2023 elections, which were heavily criticised by the European Union observer mission. In a ceremony at State House in Freetown on 3 March, Alpha was sworn in as ECSL chairman by President Bio.

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