At Stake in this Election: 

• 132 seats of the Parliament of Sierra Leone 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018) 

• Head of Government: President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018) 

• Assembly: unicameral Parliament with 146 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds.  The President may serve up to two 5-year terms. 

• In Parliament, 132 members are directly elected by proportional representation vote in 16 multi-seat constituencies (districts). The remaining 14 members are indirectly elected from among the Paramount Chiefs of Sierra Leone. 

• Paramount Chiefs are non-partisan local leaders indirectly elected from among certain families (ruling houses) by Chiefdom Councillors. 

Last Election: 

In 2018, the All People’s Congress (APC) won a slim parliamentary majority with 68 seats.  The Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won 48 seats, and two other parties and three independent candidates won the remaining 15 seats. Voter turnout was 78%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

In 2023, the 132 directly elected members of parliament will be elected by proportional representation vote within each of the 16 districts of Sierra Leone, eliminating the previous simple majority vote system. This electoral system change was requested by President Bio and approved by the Supreme Court. Indirect elections for the 14 parliamentary seats reserved for Paramount Chiefs were held on 20 May 2023. Additionally, the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, passed in January 2023, will reserve 30% of parliamentary seats for women.  

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 9 May 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 4 October 2022 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• All People’s Congress (APC) 

• Leader: Ernest Bai KOROMA 

• Seats won in last election: 68 out of 132 

• Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) 

• Leader: Julius Maada BIO 

• Seats won in last election: 48 out of 132 

• National Grand Coalition (NGC) 

• Leader: Kandeh Kolleh YUMKELLA 

• Seats won in last election: 4 out of 132 

• Coalition for Change (C4C) 

• Leader: Tamba SANDI 

• Seats won in last election: 8 seats out of 132 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 8,908,040 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 3,374,258 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 4,449,010 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: 21 September 1988, Ratified 11 November 1988 

• Gender Quota:  Yes, from 2023 on, 30% of parliamentary seats will be reserved for women 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 19 out of 146 in the Parliament (13%) 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.477, Low, Rank 181 (2021)  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 48 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 4 October 2010 

• Projected population with a disability: 1,336,206 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Sierra Leone: No, past presence 

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 2 judgements and 10 resources