The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) has clarified the reason for not disclosing election results by polling station. During a meeting with the All Political Parties Association (APPA), Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohamed Konneh explained that the law does not require the release of results by polling station; instead, it mandates the release of certified summary district results to political parties.
According to Konneh, the Public Elections Act does not include provisions for the release of disaggregated data, and there is no obligation or timeline for the Commission to provide such data even if they desired to do so.
This stance has led to tensions between the main opposition party, the All People's Congress (APC), and the ECSL. The APC has protested the lack of compliance with their demand for the release of detailed polling station results by refusing to participate in government and governance.
Following the 24 June polls, the Commission declared incumbent Julius Maada Bio as the winner of the Presidential Election, as he obtained nearly 57 percent of the vote in the first round, thereby avoiding a runoff.
Commissioner Konneh expressed his satisfaction with the Commission's adherence to the law and regulations during a meeting on 24 July, where he commended his office and other political parties for working within legal boundaries.
However, the credibility of the elections has been a subject of debate among election observation missions. While the regional body ECOWAS deemed the election credible, the European Union criticized its lack of transparency. Additionally, the Carter Centre and the local observation mission, National Election Watch (NEW), have raised concerns and questioned the results announced by the ECSL.