Opposition candidate is Sierra Leone’s president-elect

Julius Maada Bio, candidate of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), has been declared winner of Sierra Leone’s presidential run-off election.

SLPP is an opposition party.

According to the result announced by Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Wednesday, Bio received  1,319,406 votes representing 51.81 percent of the total valid votes cast, 2,546,577.

Kamara Wilson of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC)  polled 1,227,171 votes, representing 48.19 percent of the valid votes cast.

Mohamed Conteh, chairman of NEC, said the national turn out in the election was 2,578,271 representing 81.11 registered voters, while 31,694 invalid votes were recorded.

He said: “Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred on me as National Returning Officer by sections 52(2) and 94(4) of the Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No 4 of 20l2), I hereby certify that Bio Julius Manda having polled 1,319,406 of the valid votes cast in the March 31 Presidential election run-off has been duly elected President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

“Any citizen of Sierra Leone who has lawfully voted in this election may challenge the validity of the said election of the President by petition to the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, within seven days after the declaration of Presidential result pursuant to section 55(1) of the Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No. 4 of 2012).”

Bio is to take office as Sierra Leone’s fifth President having won the run-off election with more than 92,000 vote margin against his APC counterpart.

He will replace President Ernest Bai Koroma who has completed his two terms of five years each.

Fourteen political parties participated in the first ballot which was conducted on March 7, but no candidate secured the mandatory  51 percent of the total valid votes cast.