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Official 80 Recommendations

Public Summary of the Official 80

A grouped public summary of the official 80 recommendations in the July 2024 final report.

This page preserves the official package as the agreed reform block and keeps it distinct from areas of divergence and later civic follow-through proposals.

6 Professional groupings used here to make the official 80 easier to brief, read, and share.
Official These are the official recommendations only, not the separate civic proposals shown elsewhere.
Important note: The official final report contains 80 recommendations. The separate "Other Recommendations" page covers four civic proposals that are not part of the official July 2024 package.
Recommendations 1-10

Electoral Commission Transparency and Operations

Publication of decisions, regulations, staffing, operational planning, and party-agent access.

Open
  1. The Electoral Commission must consult on a consultation policy, must promulgate and publish this policy within three months of the submission of this report.
  2. The Electoral Commission to make a policy on exercise of regulation-making powers within six months.
  3. The Electoral Commission to cease the use of "classifying" documents.
  4. Electoral Commission should ensure that it complies with the provisions of the Audit Services Act.
  5. The Electoral Commission Secretariat must be responsible for the electoral operations.
  6. There must be an urgent external functional review of the Commission, including benchmarking against international good practice.
  7. Electoral Commission to publish a full electoral cycle calendar within twelve months of the declaration of a presidential election result.
  8. Electoral Commission to adopt regulations specifying the format of electoral operational plans, including timelines for adoption and publication.
  9. Electoral Commission to publish a calendar for review of procedural guidance, including stakeholder consultation periods.
  10. Electoral Commission to develop and consult upon a new temporary staff recruitment policy covering roles, qualifications, and recruitment methods.
Recommendations 11-19

Voter Information, Registration, and Nomination

Voter education, registration design, ID use, nominations software, and agent accreditation.

Open
  1. There should be an independent assessment of voter information provided in 2023.
  2. Electoral Commission voter information and education campaigns should be included in the electoral cycle calendar and operational plans.
  3. Electoral Commission should work with the Ministry of Education and civic actors to improve governance and electoral education.
  4. The Electoral Commission should undertake the recommended voter registration process under current legal provisions.
  5. Government should consider further subsidising national ID card acquisition so the Electoral Commission does not need separate voter identification resources.
  6. Electoral Commission should review proposed registration centre locations every cycle with full stakeholder engagement.
  7. Candidate nomination fees should only be collected up to the maximum number of seats to be elected.
  8. Electoral Commission should continue to offer a nominations software solution under the conditions outlined in the report.
  9. Electoral Commission should process accreditation of party agents at least two weeks before the event.
Recommendations 20-33

Institutional Oversight and Electoral Security

Parliament, PPRC, NCRA, electoral security planning, civilian monitoring, human rights oversight, and party code enforcement.

Open
  1. Create a standing parliamentary committee on electoral matters to review electoral cycles, preparedness, and legislative reform.
  2. PPRC should make its annual audited accounts available to registered political parties.
  3. NCRA should be resourced to provide an inclusive and comprehensive civil register.
  4. IESPC should draft a declaration defining election security roles, responsibilities, procedures, and code of conduct.
  5. IESPC should submit a post-election security assessment report with lessons learned to EMBs and political parties.
  6. IESPC and security forces should be resourced to conduct a comprehensive election threat and risk assessment.
  7. Future electoral security communication strategies should improve transparency, consistency, and accountability around election-related messaging.
  8. Government should improve public information when MAC-P is invoked.
  9. Establish a civilian-led multi-stakeholder structure to monitor and report election violence transparently.
  10. The Human Rights Commission should monitor election-related human rights violations and publish reports.
  11. Sierra Leone Police should conduct an election-focused training needs assessment.
  12. Provide necessary funding, human resources, and materials to capacitate the Sierra Leone Police.
  13. Develop a communications campaign explaining the IPCB, its role, and public access to it.
  14. PPRC should enforce Section 9 of the Political Parties Code of Conduct in relation to militia and violence.
Recommendations 34-49

Constitutional and Appointment Reforms

Election dates, appointment processes, tenure rules, observer protection, PPLC publication, and candidate qualification reforms.

Open
  1. Amend Sections 43 and 87 of the Constitution to provide a fixed date for presidential and parliamentary elections.
  2. Require professional qualifications and experience in governance and public management for Electoral Commissioners.
  3. Create a Search and Nominating Committee for appointment of Electoral Commissioners and the PPRC Chair.
  4. Ensure regional Electoral Commissioners are not appointed to their regions of origin and serve in their appointed region.
  5. Amend constitutional provisions on census data use for electoral delimitation.
  6. Review cyber law definitions against regional and international instruments in light of electoral context concerns.
  7. Draft legal provisions to protect election observers as human rights defenders.
  8. Adopt a Sierra Leone code for citizen and international election observers based on global principles.
  9. Require the Electoral Commission to convene a Political Parties Liaison Committee monthly and publish documents.
  10. Require publication of Electoral Commission decisions, regulations, policies, agendas, minutes, and a register of decisions.
  11. Regulate the movement of electoral materials well in advance of elections.
  12. Revise prisoner voting restrictions to make provision for presidential voting, including pre-trial detainees.
  13. Require a six-month resignation deadline for public officers seeking elected office.
  14. Amend relevant laws affecting candidate disqualification and eligibility.
  15. Allow independent presidential candidates through constitutional amendment.
  16. Suspend certain state criminal trials against presidential candidates in the year before and after elections as specified.
Recommendations 50-66

Election Administration and Inclusion

Nomination fees, inclusion thresholds, voter register publication, polling access, campaign period, and campaign finance.

Open
  1. Amend the Persons with Disability Act to progressively secure representation in elective and appointive offices.
  2. Adopt a National Youth Development Act to secure youth representation in elective and appointive bodies.
  3. Reduce nomination fees by half for women, young people up to 35, and persons with disabilities.
  4. Amend the Constitution so a first-round presidential win requires 50% + 1 nationally and district spread requirements.
  5. Require use of the National Identity Number for electoral purposes including registration and identification.
  6. Require publication of voter registration centre locations two months before registration.
  7. Require formal Electoral Commission decisions and party notification before voter-register deduplication.
  8. Require publication of the final voters' register no later than six months before polling day.
  9. Require an independent external audit of the provisional voters' register nine months before a general election.
  10. Allow seven days for a political party to nominate a replacement presidential candidate after disqualification before elections.
  11. Define the order of candidates on the ballot paper following consultation.
  12. Require access assessments of proposed polling stations before publication of the final register and voter allocation.
  13. Make procurement and printing of electoral materials more transparent and open to registered political parties.
  14. Require the counting officer's certified statement to be witnessed by counting agents.
  15. Set the general election campaign period at three months.
  16. Increase penalties for misuse of state resources in campaigning.
  17. Require PPRC regulations on campaign financing for political parties and independent candidates.
Recommendations 67-80

Dispute Resolution, Integrity, Media, and Implementation

Petition rules, party regulation, violence controls, public broadcasting, electoral system dialogue, diaspora voting, and implementation follow-through.

Open
  1. The Chief Justice should draft specialised rules on the handling of election petitions.
  2. Recommendation 68 is presented in narrative form in the report, with technical instructions available in the legal annex.
  3. Recommendation 69 is also presented in narrative form in the report, with technical instructions available in the legal annex.
  4. Amend the Political Parties Act to deregister parties that win no elected office in two consecutive general elections.
  5. Amend Section 25 of the Political Parties Act to limit objections to party alterations to registered members.
  6. Revise Part VIII of the Political Parties Act to regulate non-compliant conduct by individuals as well as parties.
  7. Expand the election violence definition to include GBV, SGBV, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
  8. Enshrine neutrality, non-partisanship, and impartiality of security forces in the Constitution and security-sector laws.
  9. Enshrine the Independent Police Complaints Board in legislation with its mandate, functions, and powers.
  10. Amend the Independent Media Commission Act to make appointment of the IMC Chair more transparent.
  11. Transform SLBC into an independent public service broadcaster with editorial independence and financial autonomy.
  12. Hold a national dialogue on the electoral system for Parliament and local councils.
  13. Discuss early and diaspora voting in the national dialogue proposed in recommendation 78.
  14. Table the final report in Cabinet and develop a Cabinet Paper to guide implementation, including legislative reforms.