UN FACT SHEET – SIERRA LEONE ELECTIONS

16 Nov 2012

UN FACT SHEET – SIERRA LEONE ELECTIONS

When is Election Day?
The elections will be held on Saturday, 17 November 2012.

 

What is the total population of Sierra Leone?
The population of Sierra Leone is approximately 6 million (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2011).

 

How many people are registered to vote in these elections?
There are some 2.7 million people registered to vote in the elections. For the first time in Sierra Leone, biometrics were used in voter registration.

 

When were the last elections held in Sierra Leone?
These elections will be the third held at the national level since the end of the conflict in Sierra Leone the last two were held in 2002 and in 2007.

 

What positions are up for grabs? How many candidates are running?
President (8 candidates)
112 Parliamentary positions (586 candidates)
475 local council and mayoral positions (1,626 candidates)

 

How many of the candidates are women?
None of the candidates running for President are women. Women comprise 11% of the candidates for Parliamentary positions and 21% of the candidates for the local council and mayoral races.

 

How many registered political parties are running in these elections?
Ten parties have been registered by the Political Party Registration Commission (PPRC) to field candidates.

 

Who is organizing the elections?
Sierra Leoneans, including national institutions and electoral management bodies such as the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), are taking the lead in these elections, carrying out activities ranging from registering voters and political parties to tallying the ballots.

 

What is the role of the UN?
The UN – including through the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Building Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has provided impartial assistance by supporting Sierra Leone's national institutions in many areas, including by helping to enhance the capacity of national elections institutions, promote inclusive dialogue, bolster security, and improve legal and electoral frameworks.

 

Will the UN be observing these elections?
No – while there will be several international and domestic groups observing the elections, the UN will not be serving as observers.

 

Will the UN help to tally the results?
No – the ballots will be counted by the National Electoral Commission, which will also announce the results.