Membership

National Election Watch (NEW) is open to organizations that are committed to promoting democratic principles, electoral integrity, and good governance in Sierra Leone. To maintain the credibility, neutrality, and effectiveness of our coalition, all prospective member organizations must meet the following essential criteria:

1. Legal Registration: The organization must be formally registered with the appropriate national authorities. A copy of the registration certificate must be submitted as part of the application process to confirm its legal standing.
2. Apolitical Stance: The organization must operate in a strictly non-partisan manner. NEW values its neutrality and impartiality in the electoral process, and therefore, any organization seeking membership must not be affiliated—formally or informally—with any political party, candidate, or partisan agenda.
3. Application Submission: The organization must complete and submit an official NEW membership application form, accompanied by the required registration documentation. This enables NEW to verify the legitimacy and eligibility of the applicant organization.

Following the submission, a due diligence process is conducted to verify the organization’s compliance with the above criteria. This includes assessing its operations, governance structure, and public record to ensure it upholds the values and mission of NEW. Upon successful verification, the organization is issued a NEW Membership Certificate, which is valid for a period of five (5) years, subject to periodic review and compliance monitoring.

In addition to processing new memberships, NEW is undertaking a comprehensive membership database cleanup. This initiative is aimed at strengthening the integrity and functionality of the coalition by updating member records. It involves verifying the continued eligibility of existing members, identifying, and removing inactive or non-compliant organizations—including those that may have become partisan or ceased operations—and creating space for credible new members to join. This process ensures that NEW remains a dynamic, credible, and principled platform for civil society engagement in electoral and democratic governance in Sierra Leone.