By Theresa Kef Sesay
There has been widespread public speculation about the date of the holding of the much anticipated 2023 local councils, parliamentary and presidential elections. Some people even speculated that President Bio would add another year to his presidency, making the elections to be held in 2024.
Chief Commissioner of the National Elections Commission, Mohamed Konneh, came out to dispel the rumours by stating that there will be no more time added, and that the elections will take place in 2023 when the life of this Parliament and Presidency that were elected in March 2018 expires.
In the latest report, a senior NEC official Wednesday night disclosed that the 2023 general elections would go ahead in accordance with the 1991 Constitution.
This, according to him, indicates that the elections will take place on a date between April and July 2023.
“The 2023 elections will be held on a date between April and July 2023,” he stressed.
It can be recalled that the 2018 elections were held on March 7th, with the Presidential runoff held on March 31st and President Bio sworn in on April 8th, 2018.
The Justice Cowan Constitutional Review Commission in its report recommended that all national elections be held on a fixed date which the Government White Paper agreed to.
Meanwhile, NEC wants to recommend fixing the first Saturday of November, 2028 for the conduct of Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council elections in Sierra Leone.
