SIERRA LEONE

FINAL REPORT

PRESIDENTIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 11 August 2007

AND

SECOND ROUND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 8 September 2007

EUROPEAN UNION ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION EU Election Observation Mission, 2007 1 Final Report on the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS ...... 2 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 3 II. INTRODUCTION ...... 7 III. POLITICAL BACKGROUND...... 8 A. POLITICAL CONTEXT ...... 8 IV. LEGAL ISSUES...... 9 A. LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE 2007 ELECTIONS...... 9 B. JUDICIARY ...... 10 V. ELECTION ADMINISTRATION...... 12 A. STRUCTURE OF THE ELECTION ADMINISTRATION...... 12 B. CONDUCT OF THE ELECTION ADMINISTRATION...... 13 VI. VOTER REGISTRATION ...... 15 A. THE RIGHT TO VOTE...... 15 B. VOTER REGISTRATION PROCEDURES...... 15 VII. REGISTRATION OF CANDIDATES/POLITICAL PARTIES/LISTS...... 16 A. POLITICAL PARTIES REGISTRATION COMMISSION ...... 16 B. CANDIDATE REGISTRATION PROCEDURES...... 17 C. COMPLAINTS RELATING TO REGISTRATION ...... 18 VIII. ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND PRE-ELECTION ENVIRONMENT ...... 19 A. OVERVIEW OF THE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS ...... 19 B. USE OF STATE RESOURCES AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF MONEY...... 21 C. COMPLAINTS DURING THE CAMPAIGN PERIOD...... 21 D. VOTER EDUCATION ...... 22 IX. MEDIA AND THE ELECTIONS ...... 22 A. MEDIA LANDSCAPE ...... 22 B. LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE MEDIA AND THE ELECTIONS ...... 23 C. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR THE MEDIA ...... 24 D. MONITORING MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE ELECTIONS ...... 24 X. PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS ...... 26 XI. HUMAN RIGHTS ...... 27 XII. PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY ...... 28 XIII. ELECTION DAY 11 AUGUST 2007 ...... 28 A. OVERVIEW OF VOTING ...... 28 B. COUNTING ...... 30 C. TALLYING...... 31 XIV. ELECTION DAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2007 ...... 31 A. OVERVIEW OF VOTING ...... 31 B. COUNTING ...... 33 C. TALLYING...... 33 XV. RESULTS...... 34 A. TABULATION AND RESULTS ANALYSIS GENERAL ELECTIONS...... 34 B. TABULATION AND RESULTS ANALYSIS PRESIDENTIAL RUN OFF ELECTIONS...... 36 C. COMPLAINTS RELATING TO ELECTION RESULTS ...... 37 XVI. RECOMMENDATIONS...... 39 XVII. ANNEX...... 46 E-DAY 8 SEPTEMBER INCIDENT TABLE...... 46

EU Election Observation Mission, Sierra Leone 2007 2 Final Report on the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

ABBREVIATIONS

ADEO NEC Assistant District Electoral Officer APC All People’s Congress AU African Union CEM Constituency Election Monitor CPP Convention Peoples Party DCMC District Code Monitoring Committee DEO NEC District Electoral Officer DFID UK Department for International Development ECOWAS Economic Community of West African ELA Electoral Law Act 2002 EOC Election Offences Court EPC Election Petition Court FVL Final Voters’ List IFES International Foundation for Electoral Systems IMC Independent Media Commission LTO Long Term Observer LUC Local Unit Commander (of Police) NEC National Electoral Commission NDA National Democratic Alliance NDI National Democratic Institute NEW National Elections Watch NTC National Tally Centre PLC Peace and Liberation Party PMDC People’s Movement for Democratic Change PPRC Political Party Registration Commission SLBS Sierra Leone Broadcasting Services SLP Sierra Leone Police SLPP Sierra Leone People’s Party STO Short Term Observer TEE Tamper Evident Envelope UNPP United National Peoples Party

EU Election Observation Mission, Sierra Leone 2007 3 Final Report on the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Presidential and parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone were held on 11 August 2007, followed by a run-off presidential election on 8 September 2007. The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) was deployed to Sierra Leone on 6 July 2007 following an invitation from the National Electoral Commission (NEC). The EU EOM was led by Chief Observer Mrs. Marie Anne Isler Béguin, Member of the European Parliament. In total, the EU EOM deployed 88 observers for the 11