Critical Elections in Sierra Leone

Fresh from the first two decisions by the Special Court, Sierra Leone faces a critical political test today — its first elections since UN peacekeepers left the country 20 months ago:

Long lines were visible at most polling stations in the capital, where voters queued up with umbrellas under drizzling rain, in some cases hours before voting booths opened.

Vice President Solomon Berewa, 69, is the front-runner for the presidency, running against six others for the nation’s top post. President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, 75, is barred from running again due to constitutional term limits.

Also running are 54-year-old Ernest Bai Koroma, a businessman leading the main opposition All People’s Congress party, and Charles Francis Margai, 62, a lawyer and former minister who runs the People’s Movement for Democratic Change, which broke away from the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party 15 months ago.

Some 572 candidates are also vying for 112 parliamentary seats in Saturday’s ballot.

“I want change and development,” said Jaclin Johnson as he waited to cast his ballot at a public school building in Freetown. “If the elections go on peacefully, there will be development.”

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Saturday’s victor must take more than 55 percent of the presidential vote to avoid a run-off between the top two finishers.

Results will be released progressively, with final tallies within 12 days of voting, according to the national electoral commission.

Fingers crossed for a fair election. It’s an uphill battle: as the article notes, Transparency International recently ranked Sierra Leone the 15th most corrupt country in the world.