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Sierra Leone

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

June 2024

Sierra Leone’s parliament passes legislation banning child marriage

On 20 June, Sierra Leone’s parliament passed a bill banning child marriage. Child marriage is a long-standing and widespread problem in the country, where 30 per cent of girls and 4 per cent of boys are married before the age of 18, with rates reported to be even higher in rural areas. Girls affected by the practice suffer a range of damaging impacts, including diminished access to education, health problems and greater vulnerability to domestic violence. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Bill  criminalises marriage for anyone under the age of 18 and creates a number of related offences, including conducting a child marriage, promoting child marriage and attending a child marriage. Amongst other things, it also automatically voids child marriages contracted after the law’s enactment and provides for the safeguarding and care of child marriage victims. The bill was signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio on 2 July.  

Sources: Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2024, Office of the First Lady, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, The State House

January 2024

Former president charged with treason following alleged coup attempt
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On 3 January, four charges were filed against former president Ernest Bai Koroma, including treason, misprision of treason and the crime of  “harbouring”. Charges were also filed against eleven others on the same day, including one person who had been a bodyguard to Mr. Koroma. The charges relate to an outbreak of violence in November 2023, in which hundreds of inmates were freed from the central prison in Freetown, and 18 members of the security services were killed. The government described the violence as an attempted coup d’état. The charges, and the allegations of an attempted coup, follow on from the disputed election result in June 2023, in which current President Julius Maada Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) was declared the winner of the elections (by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) over Dr Samura Kamara, the candidate of the All People’s Congress (APC), the party of former president Koroma. The election appeared to fall short of international standards for electoral integrity.

Sources: Africa News, British Broadcasting Corporation, Deutsche Welle

November 2023

Government declares attacks on barracks and prison a coup attempt
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In what Sierra Leone’s Information Minister described as an attempted coup, on 26 November, gunmen in the country’s capital Freetown attacked military barracks and a prison before being overwhelmed by the security forces. On 28 November it was reported that 20 people had been killed in the fighting and that almost 2,000 inmates had escaped. The government blamed the attack on ‘renegade soldiers’ but did not identify the coup leaders. Political tensions in the country have been high since its disputed general election in June and in August a number of soldiers were arrested in connection with an alleged coup plot.       

Sources: Africa Confidential, Politico SL, Reuters, British Broadcasting Corporation, The Sierra Leone Telegraph, The Africa Report 

October 2023

Opposition party ends institutional boycott in deal with government

Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All People’s Congress (APC), has ended its boycott of the country’s governance institutions following an agreement struck with the government on 19 October. The APC began its boycott in the wake of the June general election, which it alleged had been rigged. The agreement was facilitated by the Independent Commission for Peace and Social Cohesion (ICPSC) and mediated by the Commonwealth, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. Under its terms the APC members agreed to take up their seats in parliament and local councils in exchange for an end to the detentions and court cases that it claims are politically motivated. The parties also agreed to set up a cross-party committee to review the June election with development partners. The committee’s recommendations will be actionable and implementable. APC members of parliament were sworn in on 7 November.     

Sources: The Sierra Leone Telegraph, Barrons, Africa News, Associated Press News, Economic Community of West African States, Politico SL

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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2023

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Representation
103/173
Rights
71/173
Rule of Law
95/173
Participation
46/173
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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
8 791 092
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
President Julius Maada Bio (since 2018)
Head of government party
Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
29.5%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
2.08
Head of state
President Julius Maada Bio
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
12/05/2021
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
78.83%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
Signatory
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
Signatory
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
State Party
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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