The tallying of results is continuing in Sierra Leone two days after the general election.
It’s not clear who is leading in the presidential race between President Julius Maada Bio and his main contender Samura Kamara, but both sides have already said that they won the poll.
Election observers have urged them to remain calm and wait for the official results. But there are worries that no results have been announced.
The European Union mission urged the electoral commission to provide “full transparency during the tabulation of results” to ease tensions.
The Carter Center also expressed concern over “reports indicating a lack of transparency during parts of the tabulation process”, the AFP news agency quotes it as saying.
The winner of the election must secure 55% of the valid votes cast, otherwise there will be a run-off between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the results.
A lot is at stake as the West African country faces many issues including a worsening cost-of-living crisis, poverty and massive unemployment.
Sierra Leone Police ‘open fire at Opposition HQ’
Soldiers have surrounded the headquarters of the main opposition party in Sierra Leone, as votes are counted in the country’s presidential election.
The leader of the All People’s Congress, Samura Kamara, said live ammunition was fired into the building as he held a news conference.
He said it amounted to an assassination attempt.
Clouds of tear gas shrouded the building.
It’s unclear why truckloads of troops were deployed.
The police have not yet commented on the incident.
The opposition is hoping to unseat President Julius Maada Bio, who’s standing for a second term in office.
There was sporadic violence against election officials during the vote on Saturday after a tense campaign.
