The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
A new party, the National Grand Coalition (NGC), was formed by its presidential candidate Kandeh Yumkella when he broke away from the SLPP, and his message of reform is resonating with youths.
“That appeals to many Sierra Leoneans who have concluded that the old politics of the APC and SLPP have been a shackle on progress, that ethnic or regional politics undermine democratic accountability which alone would create the conditions for a meaningful transformation of the country,” noted Gberie.
Another party, the Coalition for Change (C4C), is also eating into the duopoly’s support, but the NGC “represents the far bigger threat,” analyst Cberie added.
A diplomatic source in Freetown told AFP that Yumkella was recognised as a force for change in the country and could act as a kingmaker between the APC and SLPP in an eventual runoff.
However, the true contest remains between the two main parties, the source added.
– Vehicle ban –
Civil society groups have meanwhile complained that a police ban on vehicles circulating on election day could hit turnout, saying buses the state has promised to lay on may not be able to cope with demand.
President Koroma defended the move to AFP and said it had worked “very well” in the 2012 election when he won his second and final term.
“All of it is intelligence driven. The police who are in charge of the security of people during elections have already been informed that people have intentions of moving in with machetes and others to disrupt the process,” he said.
The SLPP said it considered “any restriction of the movement of Sierra Leoneans as a fundamental breach of the right to and freedom of movement” and had “not agreed” to sign an inter-party agreement on it.
