From Our Freetown Desk
Analysts have predicted a runoff in the 2007 presidential election between the All People’s Congress and the Sierra Leone People’s Party, the two oldest parties in Sierra Leone.
The analysts say there is no likelihood for any of them to get the 55% votes as required by the constitution.
In such a scenario, both the SLPP and the APC will need the support of the People’s Movement for Democratic Change so as to gain victory. The PMDC is led by Charles Margai, a dissident from the SLPP. Both the SLPP and PMDC draw their main support from the south, while the APC draws the bulk of their support from the North. Kono in the east has never got a definite support but their support always determines the winner.
Freetown has been observed to be mostly in favour of APC. Next year’s election has been predicted to be "tough" as most Sierra Leoneans believe that years ending with seven are "disastrous" for political parties in Sierra Leone.
In 1967, the SLPP lost to the APC. In 1977, the APC government was almost wrecked by a nationwide student uprising, which brought everything in the country to a temporary halt. In 1997, the country experienced an interregnum when soldiers who proclaimed the Armed Forces Ruling Council ousted the SLPP government of president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah from power.
Photo: PMDC Supporters in Freetown
Comments