From Paul Ejime In Freetown Sierra Leone |The Heads of six International Election Observation Missions (IEOMs), including ECOWAS, Tuesday in Freetown, called on all Sierra Leone stakeholders to ensure peaceful and credible elections on Wednesday March 7. They further urged them to uphold their commitments under the ‘Freetown Declaration’, which was signed by presidential candidates on 28 February. Also present was the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Gen. Francis Behanzin, who is leading the ECOWAS Commission’s Technical Support Team for the Prof. Sawyer-led 65-member ECOWAS Observation Mission. These are the fourth elections since the end of the country’s devastating civil war in 2002, but the first time that Sierra Leone authorities would take charge of the electoral process since the departure of the UN Mission in 2014. Sixteen candidates including two women are vying for the presidency, while 789 contenders, including less than120 women are competing for the parliamentary positions.

Source: GNN Liberia March 06, 2018 20:15 UTC