Following the Parliamentary Approval of the new Chief Electoral Commissioner by 2/3 majority of members of Parliament, the National Grand Coalition (NGC) said that they found legal basis for the opposition of the newly appointed NEC Chief, Mohamed KenewuiKonneh.
The party said in press release dated Wednesday 29 July that they investigated the legality of Mohamed KenewuiKonneh’s appointment as chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
” To this end, the NGC has reviewed Sections 32 (3), 32(4) (a) and (b), Sections 75, 76, 171 (1) and 171 (3) and (4) of the 1991 Constitution. The NGC has found no legal grounds upon which to oppose Konneh’s appointment,” NGC affirmed
However, the party maintained that it concerns extend beyond questions of legality and that NEC is one institution among a select few with a heavy responsibility to uphold their ideals as a democratic nation which enables citizens to decide who should rule the country for defined periods of time in a peaceful, orderly and efficient manner.
“To this end, the capabilities, integrity and impartiality of the NEC Chairperson/Chief Electoral Commissioner must be impeccable and beyond reproach,” NGC added
That Konneh’s professional experience includes investigating and combating fraud and corrupt practices at both national and international levels and they do hope that he (Mohamed Konneh) is aware of the extent to which his conduct and performance as Chairperson of NEC will reveal to the nation and to posterity the true worth of those credentials.
That given the degree of political polarization and tension already present at the midpoint of our electoral cycle, they anticipate that elections in 2022/2023 will be a high stakes affair placing enormous amounts of pressure on NEC and the Chairperson in particular.
That the costs of a poorly managed election with hotly contested results will be extremely high for Sierra Leone as a nation.
That a strong, independent and trusted NEC chairperson will go a long way to protect the nation and to ensure forthcoming local, Bye- and National elections strengthen peace, democracy and the rule of law in Sierra Leone.
It could be recalled that opposition All People Congress (APC) has in a press release question the legal qualification of the new NEC Chief and has decided that it will go to court on the appointment.
