Election Digest

The National Election Watch (NEW) is proud to introduce its maiden edition of ELECTION DIGEST, a bi-Monthly newsletter
designed to inform citizens on key electoral reform activities, Paramount Chieftaincy elections and other election related activities and it features expert analyses in an engaging, easy-to-understand format. The Digest gives unbiased insights to bridge information gaps, promote transparency and encourage informed civic participation in the electoral process.
Disclaimer: Expert opinions in this ELECTION DIGEST remain the sole opinion of the individuals and their institutions.
The purpose of this digest is to make issues around elections and elections related activities digestible to the public.

On the 4th April, 2025, the National coordinator of the National Election Watch was invited to Liberty TV to discuss the postponement of the Population and Housing Census and its implication. Citizens must be reminded that the President proclaimed on the 8th August, 2024 that Sierra Leone’s decennial National Population and Housing Census will commence on December 2nd- 15th 2025. The postponement of the census raised concerns among citizens and was discussed in a number of media houses. Statistics Sierra Leone in explaining the reasons for the postponement cited unresolved issues in the preparation process as the reason for the postponement.
In a visit to Statistics Sierra Leone, NEW was informed by Samuel Ansumana, Director of Communications and Public Relations that the postponement was triggered by expert recommendations.

According to Samuel Ansumana, following the president’s official proclamation, Stats SL consulted with international partners including the United States Census Bureau, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) for the feasibility of having the census within the proclaimed timeline. This team formed an assessment mission from 13–17 January 2025 and identified critical gaps including the absence of a pilot census, which must be completed exactly one year prior to the actual census. Other issues raised by the assessment mission included the non-procurement of essential logistics such as tablets for data collection and the incomplete recruitment of census personnel. In addition, Sierra Leone was not captured in the UN’s 2025 census calendar, and therefore the recommendation to reschedule the census. While the government initially resisted this recommendation because it would disrupt plans, Government had to agree to comply with global standards Furthermore, Samuel Ansumana said that the postponement presents a mixed bag of implications. On the positive side, it will enhance credibility as the extra time allows Stats SL to meet international benchmarks, ensuring the census’s legitimacy. It will also make room for robust preparations from cartography to staff training and thorough groundwork can now be completed. However, with results expected by March 2027, the census could collide with the 2028 election and campaign cycle, which could invite suspicion of manipulation.
Notwithstanding, Samuel Ansumana noted that Stats SL has a winning strategy with inclusion being the cornerstone.

Stats SL has set up administrative machinery comprising critical committees including Resource mobilization committee, Technical Committee, Publicity Committee and District Census Committee. International partners have pledged financial support, while Stats SL with support from UNFPA has recruited specialized advisors, including a cartography expert and a Census Technical Adviser. Public advertisements are being made for recruitment of various cadre of staff including cartography staff, call center, via a portal and shortlisting is ongoing. Stats SL has set up a census mechanism to work with a wide range of stakeholders such as CSOs, Political Parties and Paramount Chiefs.

• Election Digest First Edition pdf (4074kb) [ download ]