Four days before the legislative, municipal, and presidential elections, mediators are trying to ease the growing tensions between the main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), and the electoral commission. In particular, they invited the various political actors to dialogue, while the APC brandished the threat of a demonstration.
“If our demands are not heard, we will maintain our strike notice”, said Sidi Yayah Tunis, spokesperson for the All People’s Congress (APC). On Saturday, the main opposition party had called on its supporters to demonstrate in front of the headquarters of the electoral commission to denounce the opacity of the electoral process. “It makes no sense for us to participate in an election where everything is already decided in advance”, continues Sidy Yayah Tunis.
On Tuesday, June 20th, the APC announced, in a press release, a peaceful march for Wednesday, June 21st. On the police side, they responded in a statement later in the day, expressing a reservation on any gathering that could “jeopardize public order” and inviting the tenors of the APC to a new meeting at 10 a.m. from Freetown.
Invited to a meeting with the police to discuss the conditions for a safe march, the APC representatives did not show up. “They gave other commitments as a pretext,” said a police spokesperson. Among these commitments, was a meeting with a team of mediators and officials of the electoral commission.
Several sticking points
“The APC has raised several points of tension,” says Hawa Saima, executive director of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, co-organizer of this dialogue initiative.
Mohamed Konneh, President of the Electoral Commission, is considered too close to power, and opposition party member Sidi Yayah Tunis fears the votes will be manipulated through the application the Commission is using for counting the ballots, which has never been used before.