The Clerk of Parliament, Umar Paran Tarawally, has announced that the first sitting of the sixth parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone will be held on July 13, 2023. The state opening of parliament, which is the official start of parliament, will be held on a separate date.
During the first sitting, all elected Members of Parliament (MPs) will be sworn in. There are two types of MPs: terminal MPs, who have completed the full five-year term, and contract MPs, who join after the parliament has begun. All 149 MPs will take the oath to commence their responsibilities in the House of Parliament.
The Clerk of Parliament will also officially welcome all 149 MPs, and the election of the speaker of the House of Parliament will be conducted in the presence of all MPs.
Tarawally emphasized that the oath is mandatory for all MPs. Failure to attend the oath-taking process on the designated date will result in being classified as a contractual MP rather than a terminal MP, thereby losing certain benefits and opportunities provided to terminal MPs.
He further highlighted that if members of the APC (All People’s Congress) boycott the sitting and refuse to take the oath on July 13, 2023, there will only be 95 terminal MPs. This would impact the benefits, gratitude, and pension they receive at the end of the five-year mandate. Tarawally concluded by stating that any MP who refuses to take the oath without valid reasons may face financial and legal consequences.