WASHINGTON: The president of Sierra Leone on Friday accused the United States of pressuring him to interfere in his country's June 24 election count, ...
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio delivers a keynote speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. AFPPIX: The president of Sierra Leone on Friday accused the United States of pressuring him to interfere in his country's June 24 election count, a statement in stark contrast to the concerns Washington has leveled regarding the fairness of the poll.
The Election Commission of Sierra Leone , he said, “had done all their calculations, collations, all the processes. I was now requested to stop them from calling the result by the United States. So I don’t know who is accusing who of interference.” Bio, 59, was reelected in a disputed vote criticized by both the opposition and international observers.
Ahead of the poll, some thought the country's soaring inflation and dire economic straits would give the opposition an opening. Bio won with 56.17 percent of the ballot, just above the 55 percent needed to avoid a runoff.