At stake in this election:

• 112 seats in the Parliament

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Ernest Bai KOROMA *
• Head of Government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA
• Assembly: Sierra Leone has a unicameral Parliament with 124 seats.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Parliament, 112 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 12 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 5-year terms.***

*** 12 seats are filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: All People's Congress (APC)
  • Leader: Ernest Bai KOROMA
  • Seats won in this election: 67
  • Seats won in last election: 59
• Party: Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP)
  • Leader: John Oponjo BENJAMIN
  • Seats won in this election: 42
  • Seats won in last election: 43
• Party: People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC)
  • Leader: Charles F. MARGAI
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 10
• Party: United National People's Party (UNPP)
  • Leader: James Obai Fullah
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: Peace and Liberation Party (PLP)
  • Leader: Syl Juxon SMITH
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Party: National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
  • Leader: Mohamed Chernor BAH
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: 0
• Alliance: Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP)
  • Leader: Eldred COLLINS
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: People's Democratic Party (PDP)
  • Leader: Prince COKER
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Citizens Democratic Party (CDP)
  • Leader: Joshua CAREW
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: United Democratic Movement (UDM)
  • Leader: Mohamed BANGURA
  • Seats won in this election: 0
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 6,043,157 (2012)
• Registered Voters: 2,701,299 (2012)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 3,056,584 (2012)

·         Is Sierra Leone a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (21 September 1988)

·         Has Sierra Leone ratified CEDAW: Yes (11 November 1988)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 15 (following the 2012 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 181 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Sierra Leone a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Sierra Leone ratified CRPD: Yes (4 October 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 906,473 (est.)