The former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, emphasized the importance of constructive dialogue in his inaugural speech to parliament subsequent to the 2012 general elections. In that election, the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), the primary opposition party, declared its intent to abstain from parliamentary participation as a protest against alleged election irregularities. These irregularities had granted incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma, representing the All People’s Congress (APC), a second term in office.
Fast-forward to 2023, the APC, now occupying the opposition position, adopted a similar stance by opting to refrain from engaging in governance. Their decision was based on suspicions of electoral misconduct, asserting that the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) had manipulated the 2023 presidential election results in favour of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).
In his address to the parliament following his victory in the 2012 presidential election, Koroma underscored the value of dialogue over boycotting, conveying the notion that boycotting would lead to isolation. He recounted his prior warning to the preceding parliament about the pitfalls of boycotting and noted his subsequent return to the following parliament, only to find the absence of opposition parliamentarians he had regarded as "friends." He posed the question of whether their constituents had similarly distanced themselves from them.
Koroma expressed his hope that the opposition would recognize that the era of boycotting had passed and that dialogue was now the sole viable approach. He went on to highlight the 2012 elections as the most transparent in Sierra Leone's history, with an extensive presence of both national and international election observers. These elections encompassed four distinct elections held concurrently.
The former president commended the election process, including the announcement of results, for aligning with international standards for impartial and equitable elections. He encouraged Sierra Leoneans to celebrate this achievement as a collective success, attributing it to both the citizenry and the state institutions.