The Judiciary of Sierra Leone organized a two-day workshop, on 9 and 10 June, for its Court Registrars and Magistrates to enhance the readiness of its electoral dispute resolution mechanism. 

Preparations for the general elections underscore the essential role played by Court Registrars and Court Magistrates as they respectively constitute the first port of call of petitioners and must adjudicate matters within very short deadlines.

Working with the office of Chief Justice the Honorable Babatunde Edwards, the UNDP Elections Project is supporting this activity to build credibility and the public’s trust in the electoral process, and to mitigate the risk of electoral violence by disgruntled candidates and voters.

Addressing the participants, Chief Justice Babatunde Edwards noted , the training is an integral part of continued professional development and capacity building in the Judiciary.

“As Registrars, you form a core part of the judicial administration as support staff without which we’ll not be able to deliver justice in an expeditious manner. So, we felt that it was necessary and timely, apart from training Judges who will be the major players during this period, to also train you because you’re there to assist the Judges in performing their duties”.

Speaking at the workshop, the Chief Technical Adviser of the Elections Project, George Baratashvili, emphasized the Judiciary’s role in the electoral process. He said, “The timely and expeditious administration of electoral justice is essential to the peaceful and credible conduct of the elections.”

In March, the Project facilitated an expert review of the country’s updated Compendium of Legislative Acts and supported the reprinting of 1000 copies and distribution to relevant courts and registrars’ offices. 

The Elections Project also supported the training of 40 Supreme Court and High Court Judges on electoral justice, as well as on the coordination and recording of court proceedings on electoral disputes. Following the training, the Judiciary created eight Courts for Electoral Offences and deployed two judges to each court.

Sierra Leone’s 2022 Public Elections Act provides for the establishment of an Election Petitions and Offences Court separate from the High Court to determine all issues arising from public elections in Sierra Leone, except for the Presidential and the Chieftaincy elections. 

The multi-donor Elections Basket Fund is administered thanks to generous contributions from the Government of Ireland, the European Union, the Government of Canada, the Government of Iceland, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.

The general multi-tier elections will take place on 24 June 2023.