A supporter of incumbent Julius Maada Bio Image: AFP
Sierra Leone will elect a new president and parliament on Saturday. Incumbent Julius Maada Bio is the favorite – despite high inflation and the economic crisis in the West African country.
A new president and a new parliament will be elected in Sierra Leone on Saturday. Almost two-thirds of the approximately 3.4 million voters in the West African country are under 35 years old. The effects of the corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine, with high inflation of over 41 percent in March, have plunged the country, which is dependent on grain imports, into an economic crisis and caused food prices to explode. This was one of the reasons why there were riots last August that left over 30 dead.
President Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP party is running for a second term in office and is ahead in polls. In the 2018 election, the 59-year-old won a runoff against his main challenger Samura Kamara, leader of the largest opposition party APC. To win the presidential election, a candidate must win 55 percent of the votes in the first round. Polling stations open at 09:00 CEST and close at 19:00 CEST.
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