𝐀𝐏𝐂 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦, 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲

The All Peoples Congress (APC) has strongly condemned what it calls an attempt by the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government to undermine the country’s democracy.

The opposition party says the government’s proposed changes, including the introduction of the proportional representation (PR), the sharing of executive powers with opposition parties, and the creation of new districts will concentrate power in the ruling party and pave the way for a one-party system.

In a statement signed by Lansana Dumbuya, APC National Secretary, the party said the 1991 Constitution clearly establishes the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system as the primary method of electing representatives, with proportional representation only allowed under exceptional circumstances. APC argues that Sierra Leone does not meet such conditions, and any attempt to permanently adopt PR would be unconstitutional.

“The people of Sierra Leone have already made their preference clear through national consultations,” the statement said. “To ignore the will of the people is to trample on democracy, and we find this unacceptable.”

APC also raised concerns about the government’s push for executive power-sharing. “This is not genuine power-sharing for national unity. It is a ploy to entrench one-party rule,” the party said, citing past experiences in other countries, such as Kenya, where similar experiments led to political crises and violence.

The party further expressed concern over the creation of new districts, saying the process has been opaque and lacks public input. “Any changes to the country’s map should be transparent, evidence-based, and involve the people who will be affected,” the statement said.

APC reminded the government of the post-2023 election dialogue that led to the Bintumani Agreement for National Unity and the Tripartite Committee recommendations, urging the ruling party to focus on implementing those measures to ensure credible and peaceful elections.

The opposition concluded by calling on civil society, religious leaders, and the international community to take notice. The party also pledged to use lawful and peaceful means to protect the Constitution and ensure that Sierra Leoneans can freely choose their leaders.

“Sierra Leone belongs to all its people, not to a ruling party desperate to cling to power,” Dumbuya said.