Sierra Leone poll result 'fraudulent'

25 Nov 2012, 1:37 pm   -   Source: AAP
Sierra Leone's presidential elections have been denounced as fraudulent by the opposition. (AAP)

Sierra Leone's presidential elections have been denounced as fraudulent by the opposition. (AAP)

Sierra Leone's tightly contested presidential elections have been denounced as fraudulent by the opposition.

Julius Maada Bio, beaten into second place in Sierra Leone's presidential poll according to official results, has denounced the election as riddled with fraud.

Incumbent Ernest Koroma was declared the victor by national electoral officials and sworn-in for a second term in office on Friday after sweeping 58 per cent of votes in the election held a week ago.

Bio, an ex-military ruler and candidate for the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), trailed in second place with 37.4 per cent of the vote.

"The process was fraudulent and the results do not reflect the will of Sierra Leoneans," Bio told AFP on Saturday.

"The party has raised concerns about electoral irregularities including faked and unstamped reconciliation and results forms, pre-marked ballot papers, ballot stuffing and overvoting in Kono (diamond-rich east), the western area and the northern province.

"These and many more instances of malpractice undermine the credibility of the results."

Bio urged his supporters to "remain calm and law abiding."

The National Elections Commission (NEC) chief Christiana Thorpe issued a statement earlier in the week in response to previous SLPP allegations, urging the party to provide evidence to the police.

Bio said the NEC had "refused to address the concerns raised and the commission prematurely stopped the counting of ballot papers from polling stations whose results were quarantined."

On Thursday, Thorpe said 10 per cent of results had been quarantined for a possible recount, however it was unclear what the verdict on these votes was by the time the final outcome was announced a day later.

International observers widely praised the poll as free, peaceful and well-conducted.

They did however note some shortcomings in the voting process and said that Koroma enjoyed an unequal playing field given that he dominated media coverage and had used state resources for campaigning.

The presidential, parliamentary and local elections were the first wholly organised by government since the end of a brutal 11-year conflict in 2002 and were seen as a key test of its recovery

The 11-year war was one of Africa's bloodiest and left the world with images of rebel leaders armed from the sale of "blood diamonds" recruiting child soldiers and hacking off citizens' limbs in a campaign of terror.

This is the third election to be held since the war ended.

At stake was stewardship of a lucrative windfall from a mining boom which is expected to grow the west African nation's economy by 21 per cent this year from iron-ore exports alone.

The country is also prospecting for oil and is rich in diamonds, gold, rutile and bauxite.

Results from parliamentary and local elections are expected to be announced on Sunday.

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