At Stake in this Election: 

• The Presidency of Sierra Leone 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018) 

• Head of Government: President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018) 

• Assembly: unicameral Parliament with 146 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds. The President may serve up to two 5-year terms. 

• In Parliament, 132 members are directly elected by party-list proportional representation vote in 16 multi-seat constituencies (districts). Parties and independent candidates must win at least 11.9% of the district vote to receive a seat. The remaining 14 members are indirectly elected from among the Paramount Chiefs of Sierra Leone. 

• Paramount Chiefs are non-partisan local leaders indirectly elected from among certain families (ruling houses) by Chiefdom Councillors. 

Last Election: 

In 2018, Julius Maada BIO won the presidency in the second round of voting with 51.80% of the vote. Voter turnout was 80%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

Incumbent President BIO is seeking a second term. Unlike the 2018 election, the two largest opposition parties (NGC and C4C) are not fielding presidential candidates in 2023. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 9 May 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 4 October 2022 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Julius Maada BIO 

• Incumbent 

• Party: Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) 

• Samura Wilson Matthew KAMARA 

• Party: All People’s Congress (APC) 

• Charles Francis MARGAI 

• Party: People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) 

• Abdulahi Dougakoro SACCOH 

• Party: Revolutionary United Front (RUFP) 

• Beresford Victor WILLIAMS 

• Party: Republic National Independent Party (ReNIP) 

• Mohamed Chernoh BAH 

• Party: National Democratic Accountant Alliance (NDA) 

• Iye KAKAY 

• Party: Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) 

• Jonathan Patrick SANDY 

• Party: National Unity and Reconciliation Party (NURP) 

• Mohamed JONJO 

• Party: Citizen’s Democratic Party (CDP) 

• Nabieu Musa KAMARA 

• Party: Peace and Liberation Party (PLP) 

• Prince COKER 

• Party: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 

• Mohamed SOWA-TURAY 

• Party: United Democratic Movement (UDM) 

• Saa Henry KABUTA 

• Party: United National Peoples Party (UNPP) 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 8,908,040 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 3,374,258 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 4,449,010 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: 21 September 1988, Ratified 11 November 1988 

• Gender Quota:  Yes, from 2023 on, 30% of parliamentary seats will be reserved for women 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 19 out of 146 in the Parliament (13%) 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.477, Low, Rank 181 (2021)  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 48 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 4 October 2010 

• Projected population with a disability: 1,336,206 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Sierra Leone: No, past presence 

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 2 judgements and 10 resources