2004 Sierra Leone Elections - Departure Statement

We have completed our report which all of the Team members have signed and which will now be sent to the Commonwealth Secretary-General. He will then forward it to the President of Sierra Leone, the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, political parties and all Commonwealth governments. It will then be made public and placed on the Commonwealth web-site. 

In general we found that the Local Government Elections were competently executed in an atmosphere of peace and calm and that the results reflected the wishes of the people of Sierra Leone. We hope that our conclusions and recommendations will be received in the positive spirit in which they are made. 

We would like to thank the many individuals and organisations who assisted us during our stay in Sierra Leone. We acknowledge with gratitude the cooperation extended to us by the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, political party representatives and civil society groups. Their contributions helped us to gain a thorough understanding of the background to the elections and the process by which they were conducted.  

Above all we would like to thank the people of Sierra Leone for their warmth and hospitality. We hope that our presence and work will be of benefit to them.

 For more information contact Adaora Ikenze on: (+232) 76 744477

 26 May 2004