(1)     PRESS STATEMENT

2012 BIOMETRIC VOTER REGISTRATION

Freetown, January 24, 2012: The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) wishes to inform its members and the general public that all public elections are required by law to be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the 1991 National Constitution, the Electoral Laws Act 2002 and relevant Rules and Regulations. In the event NEC considers it necessary to make new rules and regulations as the exigencies demand, the SLPP has always insisted that for the 2012 elections all the Political Parties should be consulted. 

For some weeks now, the SLPP and the other political parties have been meeting with the NEC on the electoral process, in particular the Biometric Voter Registration. We also participated in the Pilot Registration and in the regular meetings of the Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) where observations are discussed. Additionally, the SLPP has addressed two letters to NEC (10 November 2011 and 10 January 2012), conveying our concerns and observations on the registration process. Regrettably, NEC is still to acknowledge receipt or reply to any of them. 

For the Voter Registration, NEC has prepared Rules and Regulations for the Biometric Voter Registration. There is no provision in those Rules and Regulations nor in the Electoral Laws Act or in the National Constitution prohibiting the recording of names of electors by political parties. Any political party wishing to do so is at liberty to record the names of electors without any restriction or impediment. This does not in any way interfere with the discharge by NEC of its mandate under Section 38 of the National Constitution. Moreover, Section 17 of the Electoral Laws Act 2002 enjoins the Commission to exhibit the Provisional List of electors, showing their names and addresses, in each ward for public review. Therefore, to enable a political party to do a proper review of the provisional register so compiled by NEC, it is necessary for it to have its own record. Accordingly, the SLPP prepared and gave to each of its agents Tally Sheets to record the names and addresses of all electors. This is quite different from Parallel Biometric registration that requires the biodata, fingerprints, iris and other facial features.   

Unfortunately, NEC issued a Press Statement on the night of 23^rd January disallowing the recording of the names and addresses of electors. It did this only after receiving a complaint from the All Peoples’ Congress. This was confirmed by the Elections Co-ordinator of the APC, Mr. Balogun Koroma on the 24^th January 2012 edition of “Good Morning Salone Programme” on Radio Democracy (FM 98.1).  We consider this complaint by the APC totally unnecessary because there is nothing in the electoral law that prevented them doing the same if so minded. This act by NEC also suggests that it is compromising its independence in the conduct and supervision of elections as guaranteed by the National Constitution.    

The SLPP wishes to emphasise that its act of recording the names and addresses of electors does not contravene any provision of the electoral law nor does it disadvantage NEC or any other political party. The attempt by NEC to interfere with this process is therefore unjustified and not supported by any legal instrument. 

Sulaiman BanjaTejan-Sie

National Secretary General