APA-Freetown (Sierra Leone) Social division along political party, ethnic and regional lines has always influenced the outcome of general elections in Sierra Leone since the country gained independence from Britain in 1961.
Therefore, many Sierra Leoneans are wondering how ethnic and regional division is going to influence the outcome of the country’s 2023 general elections scheduled for June 24, 2023 when the candidate of the main opposition All People Congress (APC) Dr. Samura Kamara faces the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) led by President Julius Maada Bio.
The President is completing his first five-year term in office and last week he told crowds of cheering supporters that he is going to run for second term. In 2018, he became president after defeating the same Dr. Samura Kamara, the candidate of the then ruling party, APC.
Moreover, Bio and Kamara are from the two biggest ethnic groups, Mende and Temne respectively. Many citizens have always alleged that both the APC and SLPP, the two main political parties that have dominated politics since colonial rule usually engage in exploiting social division along political party, ethnic and regional lines to gain votes at general elections to access power and wealth.
According to 2018 election results published by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), large majority of the votes cast for the APC were from North-West regions dominated by the Temnes and strong majority of votes cast for SLPP were from polling stations in the South-East and South-West populated by the Mendes.
Some researchers are warning against social division sinking the country deep into extreme poverty. According to the World Bank, Sierra Leone recorded only $1,750 as Gross National Income (GNI) per capita in 2021, an income that ranks the country among the poorest in the world.
Moreover, weak currency and high inflation have exacerbated the problem of poverty. Only 16% of Sierra Leoneans use improved sanitation facilities and a majority die before their 54th birthday, according to the 2021 UN Human Development Index (HDI).
Incidence of diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis is still high. Moreover, the infant and under-five mortality rate is 81 deaths per 1,000 live births and 110 deaths per 1,000 live births respectively. Sierra Leone suffers from one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios of 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Historically the zero-sum game politics in Sierra Leone has created a situation where people lose everything, including their jobs and livelihood, when APC or SLPP loses.
Therefore, whatever direction the pendulum swings on June 24, 2023, SLPP or APC, it is very unlikely that the winners are going to share power and perhaps more wealth with the opposition and their supporters, a pattern that might further deepen the social division along political, ethnic and regional lines.
ABJ/APA