By Joseph Momoh, Reporter D.S.
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has accused the national government of conducting only a “limited dialogue” before deciding to adopt a Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system, a move that has prompted opposition officials from the All People’s Congress (APC) to announce a boycott of governance.
The dispute centers on Recommendation 78 of the Cross-Party Tripartite Committee report — a recommendation that, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr and other critics say, required a comprehensive national dialogue to determine whether Sierra Leone should retain a constituency-based First-Past-The-Post system or switch to PR. According to the mayor, the government proceeded to endorse PR without meaningful, wide-ranging consultations.
“The dialogue was clearly limited,” Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said in a public statement, asserting that the government’s decision did not reflect the breadth of public opinion. Opposition leaders have framed the move as a breach of the spirit of the Tripartite agreement that was intended to heal the political divisions stemming from the disputed 2023 elections.
Independent surveys and civil society consultations cited by opponents bolster the mayor’s criticism. A recent poll by the Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI) reportedly found that 68 percent of respondents reject PR. In a large forum convened by National Election Watch (NEW) that included more than 150 civil society organisations, only 10.5 percent of participants reportedly supported adoption of PR.
Major national bodies, including the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and the Council of Churches Sierra Leone (CCSL), have also released position papers opposing the PR model. APC officials say the shift undermines local accountability by concentrating candidate selection power within party leadership in Freetown rather than with constituency voters.
The government has defended PR on grounds that it can reduce localized electoral violence and foster national cohesion by allocating seats according to parties’ overall vote shares rather than individual constituency results. Critics counter that PR diminishes voters’ direct influence over local representation and hands greater control to party elites.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr urged sincere, transparent implementation of the Tripartite recommendations and reiterated calls for broader consultation before altering the electoral framework. The announcement of an opposition boycott signals a renewed political standoff that observers warn could deepen divisions unless addressed through inclusive dialogue.
For more information, contact Daily Scope Newspaper at dailyscopemedia@gmail.com.
