NEC PROCLAIMS APC CANDIDATE ERNEST KOROMA SIERRA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 FREETOWN 000566

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2022
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PINR SL
SUBJECT: NEC PROCLAIMS APC CANDIDATE ERNEST KOROMA SIERRA
LEONE PRESIDENT

REF: A. FREETOWN 552 B. FREETOWN 547 C. FREETOWN 542 D. FREETOWN 508 E. FREETOWN 503 F. FREETOWN 501 G. FREETOWN 493 H. FREETOWN 484 I. FREETOWN 482 J. FREETOWN 481

Classified By: CDA Elizabeth Pratt for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. On September 17, the National Electoral
Commission (NEC) announced that opposition APC Candidate
Ernest Bai Koroma had won the September 8 Presidential
run-off election. He will be sworn in the same day at 1700
GMT at the State House. Jubilant APC supporters thronged the
streets, waving red flags denoting the APC color. As
expected, the run-off election was close, with only a 9.2
percent margin between the two candidates. More
irregularities were noted in the run-off election than on the
initial August 11 round. However, the NEC noted that these
irregularities did not alter the election's outcome. The week
between the run-off and the final announcement was tense but
the majority of Sierra Leoneans waited patiently for the
results, illustrating their desire for peace and stability to
remain in Sierra Leone. Prior to the announcement NEC
internal divisions were publicly played out when two
commissioners, each representing SLPP strong holds, refused
to concur with the final announcement. Despite their
withdrawal the NEC still had a quorum. Throughout the
electoral process, the NEC remained a positive force in
ensuring that this election was transparent and fair and that
the voice of Sierra Leone was heard. END SUMMARY.

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NEC DECLARES KOROMA PRESIDENT
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2. (U) CDA and poloff attended the 10 a.m. September 17
press conference during which Dr. Christiana Thorpe, the NEC
Chief Electoral Commissioner, proclaimed the opposition All
People's Congress (APC) candidate Ernest Bai Koroma to be the
next President of Sierra Leone. NEC official results show
that Koroma won 54.6% of the valid votes cast with a total of
950,407 votes, while the incumbent Sierra Leone People's
Party (SLPP) candidate, Vice President Solomon Berewa, won
only 45.4 percent with a total of 789,651 valid votes. The
voter turnout rate of 68.09 percent fell below the 75.8
percent turnout on August 11. Of the total votes cast,
1,740,058 were declared valid and 43,793 votes, or 2.5
percent of the total, were invalidated.


3. (U) Immediately after the announcement, a loud cheer went
up throughout Freetown, which has traditionally been an APC
stronghold. Jubilant, but peaceful, APC supporters poured
into the streets waving banners and dressed in red, the APC
color. Police and military were in evidence patrolling the
streets in an effort to maintain an orderly environment.

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TALLYING AND INVESTIGATING THE RESULTS
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3. (U) Compared to the August 11 election, Koroma received a
much wider margin of winning votes, increasing the spread
from 5.4 to 9.2 percent. This increase reflects that many of
those who voted for third parties, such as PMDC, in the last
election this time cast their votes for APC. PMDC candidate
Charles Margai had received 13.9 percent of the August 11
vote and had encouraged his supporters to vote for APC in the
run-off. While some leadership within the PMDC party
publicly criticized Margai's decision, it is apparent that
many PMDC supporters followed Margai's lead.


4. (U) Some votes were declared invalid as a result of ballot
box stuffing. The NEC had determined that polling stations
reporting between 95 percent and 99.9 percent voter turnout
would be investigated only if a complaint was raised by party
agents or district NEC office. Stations with 100 percent
turnout would warrant an immediate investigation, and
stations with more than 100 percent voter turnout would be
immediately invalidated. The NEC Commissioner noted that the
need to thoroughly investigate these cases of over-voting was
the primary reason for the delay in announcing the final
results. As a result of their investigations, the NEC
invalidated all results from 477 polling stations throughout
the 14 electoral districts. The NEC confirmed that the
invalidation of these votes did not affect the final
electoral outcome, and, in accordance with international
standards, did not require a repeat vote.

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NEC RIFT PUBLICLY PLAYS OUT
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5. (U) The NEC rift (noted reftel 547) became a public chasm
at the final NEC press conference before a packed room of
media and international observers. Prior to the start of the
press briefing, the two NEC Commissioners representing the
South and East regions, which enjoy strong SLPP support,
announced individually they would excuse themselves from the
press conference because they did not agree with the way the
invalidations were handled. Dr. Thorpe promptly pointed out
that the Commission consists of five Commissioners and that
only a quorum of three is required to reach a final decision.
Thus, the results announced would be valid.

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TENSE WEEK PRECEDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS
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6. (U) Rising tension among Sierra Leoneans awaiting the
run-off results in the week preceding the announcement were
prevalent throughout the country. Several local newspapers,
particularly the pro-SLPP Awareness Times, published
incendiary accusations against the NEC and international
community. These media outlets were publicly reprimanded by
the NEC, the National Security Council Coordinating Group
(NSCCG),and the International Media Commission (IMC) for
attempting to damage the integrity of the election process
and results.


7. (U) On September 12, President Kabbah addressed the nation
urging Sierra Leoneans to have faith in the NEC and to avoid
spreading rumors, which hurt the nation as a whole. He
stressed the need to consolidate peace and stability in the
country and condemned the violence prior to the election. He
urged all Sierra Leoneans to accept the results of the
Presidential race. President Kabbah claimed he was no longer
the leader of SLPP, but rather considers himself the father
of the nation. As such, he urged people to use the proper
legal channels to address electoral complaints.


8. (U) At the September 13 NEC press conference, Dr.
Christiana Thorpe reported that the NEC Commissioners and
staff were receiving an increasing number of threats and
requested that such acts of intimidation cease immediately.
She even went so far as to publicly name one individual who
had been harassing Commissioners by phone, noting his misuse
of their personal telephone numbers &as, to say the least,
unprofessional.8 Both CDA and poloff attended each NEC
press conference and noted an increased level of armed
security surrounding the Commissioners, particularly Dr.
Thorpe, as the week progressed.

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DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO EARLIER SLPP INJUNCTION
FILING
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9. (C) On Saturday, September 15, the SLPP party filed an
injunction with the Supreme Court against the NEC, seeking a
halt to the vote counting until their grievances were
addressed. As result of this action, which threatened to
derail the electoral process, members of the diplomatic
community, including CDA, the UK High Commissioner, the UN
ERSG, the Chinese Ambassador, the Head of the European
Commission and the Nigerian High Commissioner, sought
meetings with both candidates.


10. (C) During the subsequent SLPP meeting the same day,
September 15, Berewa explained that the injunction was filed
as a result of differences in the SLPP manual vote tally
culled from the polling station results and those announced
by the NEC. He noted that a complaint had been submitted to
the NEC in accordance with established procedures on
September 14. Since the SLPP had not received a response from
the NEC, the party filed an injunction with the Supreme
Court. Berewa professed surprise to learn that SLPP
spokesperson Victor Reider had announced the filing on SLPP
radio. The diplomatic community also expressed grave
concerns over the rising rhetoric by SLPP affiliated media
threatening the NEC its head, Dr. Christiana Thorpe, as well
as the UN electoral experts. Berewa promised to put an end to
it.


10. Moments after the meeting had ended; Berewa contacted
ERSG Victor Angelo to inform him that the injunction would be
withdrawn, since &London, Washington, Beijing, Brussels and
Abuja8 were clearly concerned that such an action could
upset the electoral process. (Note: Ultimately, it may never
be known whether he intended to fulfill his promise since the
early (10 a.m.) September 17 NEC announcement trumped a final
Supreme Court decision on whether to accept the injunction.
End note.)

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KOROMA PLEDGES UNITY
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11. (C) In a separate meeting the same day, September 15, APC
Candidate Koroma pledged, if elected, to form a government of
national unity and seek candidates for government positions,
regardless of party affiliation. He also promised to
encourage his supporters to stay calm and patient until and
after the election results announcement.

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SWEARING IN AND NEXT STEPS
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12. (U) As required by the Constitution, the President
assumes office on the day he is declared elected. He will be
sworn into office September 17, hours after the announcement
of results, at 1700 GMT at the State House in Freetown.
Koroma will need to establish a ministerial cabinet, oversee
the opening of Parliament and encourage all government
offices ) most of which have been on hold during the past
month ) to resume the business of running the country.


13. (U) Civil society members, including media and religious
organizations, have created a Committee for a Smooth Change
of Government. This temporary group has met with both SLPP
and APC Presidential candidates to discuss the need for both
parties to encourage their supporters to accept the results
of the election and to turn their focus back towards national
unity and peace. The committee is particularly interested in
working with the new government to persuade civil servants to
return to business as usual.

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COMMENT
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14. (U) Despite the mounting tensions of the past week
awaiting the results, Sierra Leoneans remained relatively
calm and patient. We have every reason to believe that the
majority of Sierra Leoneans will move forward and accept the
final outcome. Despite evidence of internal strife amongst
the NEC Commissioners and external threats against them, the
NEC under Dr. Thorpe's leadership conducted themselves in a
transparent and credible manner. The Sierra Leone Police also
deserve credit for having managed to remain impartial through
the process. Because of such unwavering commitment to
upholding the transparency and credibility of the process,
Dr. Thorpe and the electoral team effectively ensured that
Sierra Leone's first civilian-led transfer of Presidential
authority since the end of the 10-year civil war was a
success. END COMMENT.

PRATT