By zainab.joaque@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – In the just concluded presidential election, 13 political parties paid a huge Le468 million in nomination fees to the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone.
14 Parties were qualified to nominate candidates by the Political Parties Regulation Commission, but only 13 nominated candidates for the Presidential election. The National Grand Coalition (NGC) was the exception, as they had decided to support the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in a coalition agreement. Each of the political parties was required to pay Le36 million as nomination fees for Presidential candidates.
The 13 parties include the All Peoples Congress (APC); Alliance Democratic Party(ADP); Citizen’s Democratic Party(CDP); National Democratic Alliance (NDA); National Unity and Reconciliation Party (NURP); Peace and Liberation Party (PLP); People’s Democratic Party (PDP); People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC); Republic National Independent Party (RENiP); Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP); Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP); United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the United National People’s Party (UNPP).
The Le36 million fee was arrived at through a formula found in the amended Public Elections Act 2022, specifically in the Eleventh Schedule (Sections 45(1), 56(6), 102, 103, 107).
Specifically, Presidential candidates are required to pay the minimum wage at the time of the nomination, multiplied by 12 months, and the answer multiplied by five years (i.e., Le600,000 X 12 X 5 = Le36 million). This applies to the 2023 elections.
This figure was much higher in the 2012 General Elections. The fee then was Le100 million. In 2017, the fee for presidential candidates was Le30 million, which was below the fees paid in November 2012 General Elections.
The decision to reduce the nomination fee in 2017 for the 2018 General Elections was taken to prevent the smaller parties from boycotting the process.
The Commission, in its Electoral Cycle 2020- 2024 Strategic Plan, highlighted the high nomination fees for political candidates as a threat and committed to reviewing it to reflect current economic realities in the country. It was suggested that the exorbitant nomination fees for candidates be abolished to provide a fair, transparent methodology for the Commission in determining that fee. ZIJ/4/7/2023
