Sierra Leone

Parliament

Political system: Presidential system
Structure of parliament: Unicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s): 24 Jun 2023
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 25 Apr 2023
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections: 30 Jun 2028
Number of seats at stake: 135
Scope of elections: Full renewal

Voter turnout

Registered voters: 3,374,258

Results

About the election: Mr. Julius Madaa Bio’s Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) won the elections, taking 81 of the 135 seats at stake (see note 1). The All People's Congress (APC), the largest party in the outgoing legislature, took the remaining seats. The percentage of women nearly doubled from 14.52% to 28.19% thanks to the Gender Empowerment Act (see note 2).

In the presidential elections held in parallel with the parliamentary polls, President Bio was re-elected. His rival, former foreign affairs minister Samura Kamara (APC), rejected the results. The European Union Election Observation Mission to Sierra Leone noted “statistical inconsistencies” in the presidential election results, and urged the Electoral Commission to publish disaggregated results data per polling station.

The 2023 elections followed the global COVID-19 pandemic, and were held against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine that started in February 2022. The major parties focused on job creation and agricultural development. The parliamentary elections were held under List Proportional Representation, instead of First Past The Post, which had been used previously (see note 3).

Note 1:

The number of members directly elected increased from 132 to 135 as of the 2023 elections. In addition, there are 14 Paramount Chiefs who are indirectly elected to represent the 14 provincial districts.

Note 2:

The Gender Empowerment Act 2021 stipulates that: 30% of constituency seats in each district are to be reserved exclusively for female candidates contesting parliamentary election; and that the Electoral Commission is to reject a party's list of candidates if it fails to comply with the 30% women’s quota.

The Public Elections Act 2022 also stipulates that, for every three candidates nominated for parliamentary elections, one of them is to be female.

Additionally, the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2022 stipulates that 30% of public and private jobs must be reserved for women.

Sources:

- The Gender Empowerment Act 2021, Part II – Reserved Seats and Appointment to Public Office, articles 2 (1) (a) and 2 (3), published in the Supplement to the Sierra Leone Extraordinary Gazette Vol. CXLXII, No. 45, dated 16 August 2021

- The Public Elections Act 2022, Part VI – Election of Members of Parliament, article 58 (2), published in the Supplement to the Sierra Leone Gazette Extraordinary Vol. CXLXIII, No. 67, dated 20 September 2022

- The Gender Equality and Empowerment Act 2022, Part II – Public Elections and Appointment to Public Office, article 3, published in the Supplement to the Sierra Leone Gazette Extraordinary Vol. CXLXIII, No. 91, dated 30 December 2022

Note 3:

In October 2022, following a consultation with President Bio, the Electoral Commission announced it had been directed to use the District Block and Proportional Representation system for the 2023 elections. Section 38 (A) of the Constitution allows the President to direct the Electoral Commission to conduct elections using the “district block representation system instead of constituencies” in cases where constituencies for a general election have not been established. In January 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the changes.
Number of parties winning seats: 2
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition: 60.0%
Alternation of power after elections: No
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group	Total
Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)	81
All People's Congress (APC)	54

Members elected, by sex

Number of men elected: 94
Number of women elected: 41
Percentage of women elected: 30.4%
Women Directly Elected: 41
Women Indirectly Elected: 1
Sources: Parliament (02.07.2023, 06.07.2023)

https://results.ec.gov.sl/

https://ec.gov.sl/

The Gender Empowerment Act, 2021

The Public Elections Act, 2022

The Gender Equality and Empowerment Act, 2022

Press Statement of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), 21 October 2022

Supreme Court judgement, delivered on 27 January 2023, Action intituled SC6/2022

https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eom-sierra-leone-2023/eu-eom-calls-electoral-commission-sierra-leone-promptly-publish-disaggregated_en?s=410315

BBC Monitoring

https://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/4025/

https://www.reuters.com

https://www.bbc.com

https://www.dw.com/en

New legislature

Total number of men after the election: 107
Total number of women after the election: 42
Percentage of women after the election: 28.2%
First-term parliamentarians: No information available
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians: No information available
Date of the first session: 13 Jul 2023

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature: Abass Chernor Bundu (Male)
Date of birth: 03 Jun 1948
Political party: Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)
Date of election: 13 Jul 2023