Will presidential elections usher in a new era for Sierra Leone?
Votes are being counted in a presidential election runoff.
Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world.
It already had one of the highest infant mortality rates. Then came an outbreak of the Ebola disease in 2014 that killed almost 4,000 people – many of them children. The health system could not cope. On top of that, a slump in commodity prices crippled the economy.
It is obvious the new president faces big challenges. He will take over from President Ernest Bai Koroma who is stepping down after two five-year terms.
There were complaints after the first electoral poll earlier last month of ballot tampering. And the presidential runoff last week was delayed because of the fraud allegations.
But it eventually went ahead on Saturday between a former coup leader, Julius Maada Bio, and the president’s hand-picked successor, Samura Kamara.
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Cornelius Deveaux – Sierra Leone’s deputy minister of information
Laura S Martin – lecturer at the University of Birmingham, UK
Marie-Roger Biloa – editor at Africa International