• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ManoReporters.com
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Business and Economy
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Sci-Tech
    • Regional
    • Culture
    A screengrab from an amateur video shows the military officer standing over the motionless body of the gunman, shortly after dropping him down. Photo credit, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters

    Gunman in Lightfoot Boston Street shooting incident is a “dangerous armed robber” – Police

    Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

    Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

    Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio delivers a keynote speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. - AFP

    Bio says US pressured him to interfere in June 24 elections

    Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

    Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

    Kids who benefitted from SWSL's back-to-school package display their goodies. Photo credit, Hassan Koroma, ManoReporters

    Dozens of children of disable parents get Back-to-school kits from SWSL

    Dr Alhaji Umar Njai poses with his mentee, Abubakar Sesay at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. Photo credit, Project 1808

    Project 1808 Founder, Mentee, Among Sierra Leone Representatives in 1st Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi

    Trending Tags

  • Special Reports
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • True or False
  • Interview
  • ManoReporters TV
  • Tender and Job
  • Election 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Business and Economy
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Sci-Tech
    • Regional
    • Culture
    A screengrab from an amateur video shows the military officer standing over the motionless body of the gunman, shortly after dropping him down. Photo credit, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters

    Gunman in Lightfoot Boston Street shooting incident is a “dangerous armed robber” – Police

    Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

    Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

    Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio delivers a keynote speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. - AFP

    Bio says US pressured him to interfere in June 24 elections

    Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

    Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

    Kids who benefitted from SWSL's back-to-school package display their goodies. Photo credit, Hassan Koroma, ManoReporters

    Dozens of children of disable parents get Back-to-school kits from SWSL

    Dr Alhaji Umar Njai poses with his mentee, Abubakar Sesay at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. Photo credit, Project 1808

    Project 1808 Founder, Mentee, Among Sierra Leone Representatives in 1st Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi

    Trending Tags

  • Special Reports
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • True or False
  • Interview
  • ManoReporters TV
  • Tender and Job
  • Election 2023
No Result
View All Result
ManoReporters.com
No Result
View All Result

Bio says US pressured him to interfere in June 24 elections

Kemo Cham by Kemo Cham
September 16, 2023
in Election 2023, News, Politics
0
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio delivers a keynote speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. - AFP

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio delivers a keynote speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. - AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

President Julius Maada Bio has accused the United States of seeking to force him to interfere in the June 24 General Elections.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bio said US officials called him and requested that he halted the scheduled announcement of the results and asked that the elections go into a second round.

“The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) had done all their calculations, collations, all the processes. I was now requested to stop them from calling the result by the United States. So, I don’t know who is accusing who of interference,” Bio said in an interview conducted at an event at the American University in Washington on Friday.

President Bio is on a visit to the US as part of the annual UN General Assembly. It is his first visit to the country since his re-election for a second and final five year term.

While in the US, the Sierra Leonean leader has been attending several side events geared towards promoting bilateral ties between Sierra Leone and other countries.

Bio is an alumni of the American University in Washington, where he attained bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He moved to the US after handing over power following elections that brought to an end his brief military rule in 1996.

Bio said in a Q & A session following a lecture at the School of International Service of the American University that he couldn’t interfere in the work of the electoral commission because it’s an independent body. He also said that elections were never free of problems anywhere in the world, including in the US.

He insisted that his victory in the June 24 polls was a foregone conclusion because “all the polls made that clear.”

The US was critical about the conduct of the elections, over its alleged lack of transparency, especially during the counting and tabulation process.

The US Mission in Freetown, in a joint statement with counterparts from the European Union, France, Ireland and Germany, condemned the “lack of transparency in the tabulation process”.

The ECSL has insisted that the results it announced on June 27 reflected the true will of Sierra Leonean voters, stressing that its actions were all in accordance with the electoral laws of the country.

But it seems the US and some Western government believed the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC)’s position, which holds that the process was rigged.

According to President Bio, the US’ move to cast doubt on the credibility of the 2023 elections amounted to calling for a coup.

“When the United States casts doubt on an election that was considered the most peaceful, not my words, but the observers… you are calling for a coup,” he said.

The US government last month announced visa restriction on unnamed officials it said were responsible for “undermining democracy” in the country through their involvement in alleged vote rigging and intimidation of election observers. But a statement by the State Department did not indicate any name of those slammed with the sanctions.

President Bio though expressed regret for the decision which he believes was taken on the basis of “wrong information.” He said however that his government will continue to pursue amicable relations with the US, with the hope that “somebody somewhere will hear the truth and know that sometimes dialogue is better than these coercive and punitive actions.”

Tags: Sierra Leone
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

Next Post

Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

Kemo Cham

Kemo Cham

Next Post
Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

Stay connected

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Sarah Van Horne, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy in Freetown. Photo credit, Courtesy.

Sierra Leone: US considering further actions after visa ban – Embassy spokeswoman

September 1, 2023
Anthrax Outbreak: Sierra Leone records first human cases

Anthrax Outbreak: Sierra Leone records first human cases

May 22, 2022
Guinea: Daughter of independence hero Sekou Toure passes on

Guinea: Daughter of independence hero Sekou Toure passes on

January 15, 2022
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Photo credit, States Department

Breaking! US government says it is “concerned” about irregularities in Sierra Leone elections

July 14, 2023
Diabetes: The “Ticking Time Bomb” for Africa! Are we sitting on it?

Diabetes: The “Ticking Time Bomb” for Africa! Are we sitting on it?

0
Sierra Leonean on trial for war crimes in Liberia released

Sierra Leonean on trial for war crimes in Liberia released

0
Sierra Leone, France seek tighter cooperation

Sierra Leone, France seek tighter cooperation

0
Wellington Fire Disaster: Victims Benefit From Fullah Progressive Union Largesse

Wellington Fire Disaster: Victims Benefit From Fullah Progressive Union Largesse

0
A screengrab from an amateur video shows the military officer standing over the motionless body of the gunman, shortly after dropping him down. Photo credit, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters

Gunman in Lightfoot Boston Street shooting incident is a “dangerous armed robber” – Police

September 21, 2023
Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

September 20, 2023
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio delivers a keynote speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. - AFP

Bio says US pressured him to interfere in June 24 elections

September 16, 2023
Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

September 12, 2023

Recent News

A screengrab from an amateur video shows the military officer standing over the motionless body of the gunman, shortly after dropping him down. Photo credit, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters

Gunman in Lightfoot Boston Street shooting incident is a “dangerous armed robber” – Police

September 21, 2023
Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

Sierra Leone: Training journalists covering minority issues on mental health & fatigue

September 20, 2023
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio delivers a keynote speech at the American University School of International Service in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. - AFP

Bio says US pressured him to interfere in June 24 elections

September 16, 2023
Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

Sierra Leone: MRCG commences national retreat on minority rights reporting

September 12, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Contact

info@manoreporters.com | Freetown, Sierra Leone

Contact

info@manoreporters.com | Freetown, Sierra Leone

© 2022 Powered by Manocommunication.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Business and Economy
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Sci-Tech
      • Data
    • Regional
    • Culture
  • Special Reports
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • True or False
  • Interview
  • ManoReporters TV
  • Tender and Job

© 2022 Powered by Manocommunication.com