Constitutional Review: Sierra Leone Proportional Representation (PR) System

A Bill that puts Salone's Democracy on the path to One-Party rule.

"To my mind, when the most rejected choice becomes the final constitutional proposal, confidence evaporates, and it becomes clear that it is not the will of the people at work, but the will of power ~ @MichaelBasita."

In an 'X' running post, Basita Michael finds this statement deeply problematic— especially coming from someone aspiring to be President of Sierra Leone.

We were told that the constitutional review will “restore confidence and place the will of the people at the centre of national decision-making.” Yet the record suggests otherwise.

To give just one example: the Tripartite Framework recommended a national dialogue on the choice of electoral system. Following that dialogue, expert input, and technical deliberations, representatives of civil society — including community-based organizations, trade unions, the Inter-Religious Council, professional bodies, and the media — voted 57.9% for First-Past-The-Post, 31.6% for a mixed system, and only 10.5% for Proportional Representation, as reflected in the NEW press release of 17 July 2025. Yet the constitutional bill adopts Proportional Representation — the least preferred option.

To my mind, when the most rejected choice becomes the final constitutional proposal, confidence evaporates, and it becomes clear that it is not the will of the people at work, but the will of power.

“A nation cannot advance when a small group of actors becomes skilled in exploiting the vulnerabilities of the very citizens they claim to represent.”

— Source: @agb2028

Madam Femi Claudius-Cole, Chair of Unity Party and COPPP, provides an analysis of what is at stake should Sierra Leone's proportional representation system become the final constitutional process.

"A Bill that Puts Salone's Democracy on the Path to One-Party Rule ~ @ClaudiusFem."

“... certain voices have mastered the manipulation of the illiterate and the uninformed, turning public ignorance into political capital.”

— Source: @agb2028 | Concluded