Julius Bio re-elected as Sierra Leone president

Julius Bio, incumbent president of Sierra Leone, has been declared winner of the election in the country.

Bio gained 56 percent of the vote cast to defeat Samura Kamara who trailed behind with 41 percent.

Mohamed Konneh, chief electoral commissioner, announced the results on Tuesday.

However, the All Peoples Congress (APC) which Kamara belongs to, said it “will not accept these fake and cooked up results”.

The APC alleged a lack of transparency and accountability by the country’s electoral commission, and said it “would continue to reject the fabricated result and reaffirm our victory”.

Evin Incir, chief observer of the European Union (EU) election observation mission in the country, said the electoral commission lacked clear, timely, and comprehensive communication with the broader public, creating uncertainties and reducing stakeholders’ trust.

Bio, a former coup leader, became Sierra Leone president in April 2018.

Under his administration, unemployment and a general cost of living have gone through the roof, spurring violent protests in 2022.

Kamara and the APC had pledged to improve the country’s economic outlook as part of their campaign promises.

The EU asked both parties to adopt legal means in settling their disputes.

Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had led the Commonwealth observer group to monitor the elections in the country.