ECOWAS Observation Mission to Sierra Leone confirm that The Polling Stations was mostly Peaceful in Sierra Leone.

His Excellence Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas,the head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission to Sierra Leone "Atmosphere of the polling stations was generally peaceful with security agents present in 92% of the polling stations where we visited". He also said that 37% of the polling stations observed, commenced it's operation within the first hour, while 63% of cases of polling started with considerable delays due to the late arrival of ECSL staff and polling materials. He made this known in a statement on Monday 26 June, 2023, at a joint press conference organized by ECOWAS, AU and Commonwealth Observation Missions to Sierra Leone held at Bintumani hotel, Freetown. The Articles 12 and 13 of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance mandates the ECOWAS Commission to provide assistance to member states conducting elections . . . . He explained based on the above mentioned articles(12 and 13) that Commission provided capacity building for stakeholders on dialogue and mediation, conducted training on media in election reporting, held engagement with the management of Electoral Commission Sierra Leone and also provided 500,000 dollars in support of the conduct of the general elections. He explain that the Articles 14 and 16 of the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, proveds the president of ECOWAS Commission HE Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the power to deploye an Election Observation Mission (EOM) compromising 15 long term and 80 short term observers to Sierra Leone. The ECOWAS EOM is deployed with a mandate to observe the conduct of critical phases before, during and after election processes with a view to making critical recommendations for the improvement of the electoral process where needed. . . . The head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission, Dr. Ibn Chambas said the mission notes the relative freedom the media enjoy, with both the print and electronic media landscape in Sierra Leone, offering plural and diverse platforms for citizens to have access to relevant information on the electoral process. . . . The head of the mission H.E. Dr. Chambas added that on election day, the Mission deployed 95 observers in 15 districts. He stated that the observers visited 337 polling stations both in Urban Area (44%) and Rural Area (56%). On the area of inclusion, the ECOWAS Observation Mission boss said 63% of polling stations visited were accessible to Persons living with Disability (PWDs). He said they also observed that there were tactile ballot jackets in 33% of polling stations visited. . . . He noted that despite there were some challenges, polling proceeded smoothly and in a largely peaceful atmosphere, and that eligible voters were able to freely participate in the process. He added that, "The Mission commends the sense of patriotism exhibited by polling staff, the security forces, the general populace, who collectively played their parts in ensuring a peaceful conduct of the 2023 general elections." . . . He however expressed regret that major political parties prempted ECSL by rushing to announce their 'victory' in the polls before the official announcement by ECSL. He ended by appealing to all stakeholders especially political parties, candidates and their supporters, the security forces and the general citizenry to remain calm and patiently await the announcement of the final results by ECSL.