Incumbent President Julius Maada Bio was sworn in after his re-election in the first round for a second term as head of Sierra Leone with 56.17% of the vote, according to official figures, Tuesday June 27, a victory disputed by his principal opponent.

Samura Kamara, who came second with 41.16% of the vote, immediately declared that he “categorically rejects” the results of the electoral commission which he considers “not credible”. “I will rise above this travesty and pledge to continue the fight for a better Sierra Leone,” he added, without specifying what exactly he intended to do.

Mr. Bio, a 59-year-old former soldier, was sworn in Tuesday for his second term as head of the country in the wake of the announcement of the results, according to images on his Twitter account.

The country, which experienced a civil war from 1991 to 2002, went through a turbulent electoral process. Multiple incidents have been reported.

Observers fear post-election violence, but the results came on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, one of the biggest in the entire West African region, which traditionally slows down activities.

Joy

As soon as the results were announced, supporters of the president, dressed in green, the color of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), celebrated their champion by honking their horns and banging on pots in downtown Freetown. Others blew vuvuzelas and sang “Maada Bio, Maada Bio.”

“I’m glad Bio won, we want him to stabilize the economy and create jobs,” said SLPP activist Susan Myers, 34.

“He is doing great things for this country. He fights corruption,” rejoiced Musa Tholluy, 27, in a grand parade towards Parliament.

In a speech shortly after the results, Julius Maada Bio insisted on the economic stakes and the development of infrastructures, in one of the least developed countries in the world. He also called on all Sierra Leoneans to come together for the “progress” and “prosperity” of his country.

The day before, partial results giving the incumbent president more than 55% of the vote, synonymous with victory in the first round, had already been rejected by the opposition who castigated the lack of inclusiveness, transparency and accountability of the commission electoral.

Some 3.4 million people were called upon to choose between 13 presidential candidates. The turnout was 83% according to the electoral commission.

Election day, Saturday, was generally calm despite a few incidents. But on Sunday evening, a woman was killed at opposition headquarters as security forces sought to disperse the gathered crowd.

Sierra Leoneans also voted on Saturday to elect their parliament and local councils, polls whose results have yet to be released.

Lack of transparency

European Union observers felt that the lack of transparency and communication from the electoral authority had created mistrust in the electoral process. In the previous presidential election, in 2018, Mr. Bio won the second round with 51.8% of the vote against Mr. Kamara, a 72-year-old technocrat.

During his first term, Mr. Bio championed education and women’s rights. He said he wanted to prioritize agriculture and reduce his country’s dependence on food imports.

In an address to the nation after the first partial results, the incumbent president called on Sierra Leoneans to remain calm and obey the law.

Mr. Kamara, Minister of Finance and then of Foreign Affairs before the advent of Mr. Bio in 2018, had indicated that he wanted to restore confidence in national economic institutions and attract foreign investors.