Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio wins re-elecion
Bio secured victory in the West African country's presidential election with more than 56 percent of the votes to avoid a run-off against main rival Samura Kamara, according to the nation's electoral commission.
Bio, 59, was running for re-election after a first term marred by growing frustration over economic hardship. / Photo: Reuters
Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has been re-elected with 56.17 percent to serve a second term, the head of the electoral commission said following a process disputed by the opposition.
His main challenger Samura Kamara came second with 41.16 percent of the vote, according to final results announced in Freetown by commission chief Mohamed Kenewui Konneh on Tuesday.
Vote tallying had already been disputed by the opposition All People's Congress (APC), which condemned in a statement on Monday an alleged lack of inclusiveness, transparency and responsibility by the electoral commission.
The party pointed to the lack of information about which polling stations or districts the ballots were coming from. It had said it "will not accept these fake and cooked up results".
In a follow-up statement, it alleged "overvoting" in some areas and said the party "continues to reject" the "fabricated results" and "reaffirms our victory".
During a Monday evening press conference, European Union observers said a lack of transparency and communication by the electoral authority had led to mistrust in the electoral process.
The monitors said they witnessed violence at seven polling stations during voting hours and at three others during the closing and counting stages.
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