By Aurore Bonny
DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - The people of the West African country of Sierra Leone are voting on Saturday for their new president, along with parliamentary and municipal representatives.
Out of a population of over 8 million, more than 3 million voters are expected to cast their ballots between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. in over 11,800 ballot boxes in 16 districts, according to the country's Electoral Commission.
"Polling is ongoing peacefully," the digital media platform Sierraloaded reported, noting the "over-exposed ballot boxes and few stamps."
In other districts, local media reported long lines and that voting equipment has not yet been installed in some places.
"Voters arrive at polling booths early," the West Africa Democracy Radio said, and stressed the long lines for voting before the arrival of election officials.
After a decade of civil war in March 1991-January 2002, this is the 5th presidential election in the former British colony founded by enslaved African Americans.
Local and international election observers are also monitoring the elections for the 132 out of 146 seats in parliament. The remaining seats will be allocated to tribal chiefs.
Julius Maada Bio, 59, the outgoing president and leader of the Sierra Leone People's Party, is military officer and a former putschist who took part in the overthrow of the democratic government in the capital Freetown in 1992.
He was briefly the president in 1996, lost the elections in 2012, and then won again in 2018. He hopes to run for a second term of five years, the maximum allowed by law.
His first term was marked by a major economic crisis, with youth unemployment at 60%, one of the highest in West Africa according to the African Development Bank, while the inflation rose from 41% in March to 43% in April. Several demonstrations against the high cost of living led to killings and calls for his resignation.
Despite this, Bio said he believes he has "worked tirelessly to stimulate economic development and social progress over the past five years to improve the quality of life of citizens."
However, he will have to win 55% of the votes in the first round, otherwise he will have to go through to the second round with his nearest competitor at a later date set by the electoral body.
His rival is the economist Samura Kamara, 72, of the main opposition party All People's Congress, who was elected the opposition candidate with 85% of the votes against 17 contenders.
Kamara is a statesman who served as the finance minister under Bio's military regime in 1996. He later held this post as well as that of the foreign minister. His candidacy came as he has been facing his country's justice system since 2021 for the embezzlement of over $2.5 million in public funds while he was the foreign minister.
As an unsuccessful candidate in the 2018 presidential election, his plans include rebuilding the national unity and tackling economic deficiencies.
- Hope for peace and change in country
Many local and international observers are hopeful that the voting will proceed peacefully.
"My expectation is that the elections will be peaceful, free, and fair. Citizens must have their say," Vicky Remoe, a Sierra Leonean TV host and producer, told Anadolu in a message.
"It is impossible not to hope for change when we look at the current state of our country. We are faced with high costs of goods, lack of access to running water, and power in our hospitals, a life expectation of just 53 years and a lack of economic empowerment for women," she explained.
She is convinced that the general state of development is in need of improvement, but that this will not just happen on election day at the ballot box.
"It takes time and effort to bring about real change. Regardless of who wins the election. Sierra Leone's challenges will not be easily solved, despite what politicians may promise," added Remoe.