Sierra Leone court order halts presidential run-off

SIERRA Leone’s high court on Saturday issued an order to halt tomorrow’s presidential run-off until it resolves a legal dispute filed by a lawyer linked to the ruling party.

Tensions are high ahead of the vote with a campaign marked by violent attacks and intimidation.

The order prevents the National Electoral Commission from going ahead with the vote until “the hearing and determination of this court”, and also prevents the body from undertaking preparations.

The court adjourned the case until today to allow time for the commission to submit a question to the supreme court, after which the high court will sit again to reconsider the matter.

A member of the ruling All Peoples’ Congress (APC), lawyer Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, had argued in his filing that electoral fraud allegations should be investigated before the vote goes ahead.

The first round was declared fair and credible by international and domestic observers.

The APC’s candidate, Samura Kamara, finished slightly behind Julius Maada Bio of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in the first round of voting on March 7, but neither candidate gained the 55% of votes needed to win outright.

“We view this so-called interim injunction as a deliberate ploy by President Ernest Koroma to illegally extend his tenure,” an SLPP statement issued late on Saturday said. —