Sierra Leone gears up for presidential election amid economic crisis, looming protests

By KEMO CHAM and SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leoneans are heading to the polls on Saturday, June 24, to select their next president amid mounting frustration due to an ailing economy, rising unemployment and the loom of deadly protests. Experts say it’s likely to be a two-horse race between incumbent President Julius Maada Bio — who’s fighting for his second five-year term — and Samura Kamara, the head of the All People’s Congress Party. The winner needs 55% of the vote to clinch victory in the first round or it goes into a runoff within two weeks. This will mark the country’s fifth presidential election since the end of a brutal 11-year civil war that ended more than two decades ago.