The Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, has in no uncertain terms condemned the European Union Election Observation Mission’s final report on the Saturday 24th June, 2023 multitier elections in the country.

Receiving the report from the EU-EOM team, Vice President Juldeh Jalloh shared with the Chief Observer Evin Incir and her team his initial thoughts on the report.
As erstwhile election expert in the United Nations, Vice President Juldeh Jalloh said the EU-EOM’s final report is skewed towards a political understanding of the elections rather than a technical understanding.

According to the Second Gentleman of Sierra Leone, the expectation of the report is for it to be technically sound in order to help improve future elections through identifying key institutional, legal and operational lapses.

“However, it is filled with normative assertions and very limited electoral analysis,” VP Juldeh Jalloh said, adding, “The myriad of inconsistencies and lack of clear evidence risk undermining the quality of the report.”

He queried: “How do you interpret assertions such as ‘divisive online communication…created insecurity for rural voters’? How do you explain the technical value of the report when four out of the seven priority recommendations are political in nature?” “With my previous experience and knowledge in the organisation of elections in Africa and Europe, I have had the opportunity to work closely with several institutions, including the EU,” VP Juldeh Jalloh disclosed, noting, “I believe that EU

Election Observers Mission can do better, particularly in producing high quality reports that are rooted in sound technical and analytical understanding of elections.” The Vice President on behalf of the Government thanked the EU Election Observation Mission for their efforts, and looked forward to continuing their engagement with the European Union to strengthen the electoral system in Sierra Leone.