Politics of Sierra Leone
Encyclopedia
Government of Sierra Leone is the governing authority of the Republic of Sierra Leone, as established by the Sierra Leone Constitution. The Sierra Leone government is divided into three branches: the Executive Legislative and the Judiciary
. The seat of government of Sierra Leone is in the capital Freetown
.
The government of Sierra Leone takes place ace in a framework of a presidential
representative democratic
republic
, whereby the President of Sierra Leone
is both head of state
and head of government
, and of a multi-party system
. Executive power
is exercised by the president. Legislative power is vested in by the Parliament of Sierra Leone
. The Judiciary
of Sierra Leone is independent of the executive and the legislature. Civil rights
and freedom of religion
are respected. A critical press continues to operate, although the government has intervened for alleged inaccurate reporting, using the 1965 Public Order Act which criminalizes libel.
|President
|Ernest Bai Koroma
|APC
|17 September 2007,
|-
|Vice-President
|Samuel Sam-Sumana
|APC
|17 September 2007
|}
The President is Ernest Bai Koroma
(since 17 September 2007. The president is both the head of state
and head of government
. Ministers of State are appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; elections were last held 8 September 2007 (Ernest Bai Koroma, APC, 54.6%; Solomon Berewa, SLPP, 45.4%). The president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms.
has 124 members, 112 members elected for a four year term through proportional representation
in 14 multi-seat constituencies with a constituency threshold of 12.5 % and 12 Paramount chiefs.
. The judicial system continues to function for civil cases though some regard it as handicapped by shortages of resources and qualified personnel. Judges are appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission with the approval of Parliament.
There also are magistrate and local courts and from these appeals lie to the superior courts of judicature.
The 1991 constitution
created an ombudsman responsible for looking into complaints of abuses and capricious acts on the part of public officials. In 2000 the government promulgated the Anti-Corruption Act to combat corruption.
is the chiefdom, headed by a paramount chief
. Since 2004, each of the 13 districts and 6 major cities (Freetown
, Bo
, Kenema
, Makeni
, Koidu and Bonthe) has an elected Local Council which is the highest political authority in the district / city.
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
. The seat of government of Sierra Leone is in the capital Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
.
The government of Sierra Leone takes place ace in a framework of a presidential
Presidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
representative democratic
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, whereby the President of Sierra Leone
President of Sierra Leone
The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone is the head of state and the head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces...
is both head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
and head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, and of a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
. Executive power
Executive Power
Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
is exercised by the president. Legislative power is vested in by the Parliament of Sierra Leone
Parliament of Sierra Leone
The unicameral Parliament of Sierra Leone is the country's legislative body. It is sometimes known as the House of Representatives.The current Parliament, formed following elections held on 14 May 2002, has a total of 124 members. 112 members are directly elected in multi-member constituencies...
. The Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
of Sierra Leone is independent of the executive and the legislature. Civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and freedom of religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
are respected. A critical press continues to operate, although the government has intervened for alleged inaccurate reporting, using the 1965 Public Order Act which criminalizes libel.
Executive
See also: President of Sierra LeonePresident of Sierra Leone
The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone is the head of state and the head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces...
|President
President of Sierra Leone
The President of the Republic of Sierra Leone is the head of state and the head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces...
|Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma is the fourth and current President of Sierra Leone. He was sworn in as President on 17 September 2007 at the State House in the capital Freetown, shortly after being declared the winner of a tense run-off in the 2007 Sierra Leone presidential election with 54.6% of the vote over...
|APC
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...
|17 September 2007,
|-
|Vice-President
|Samuel Sam-Sumana
Samuel Sam-Sumana
Alhaji Sahr Samuel Sam-Sumana is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current Vice President of Sierra Leone...
|APC
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...
|17 September 2007
|}
The President is Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma
Ernest Bai Koroma is the fourth and current President of Sierra Leone. He was sworn in as President on 17 September 2007 at the State House in the capital Freetown, shortly after being declared the winner of a tense run-off in the 2007 Sierra Leone presidential election with 54.6% of the vote over...
(since 17 September 2007. The president is both the head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
and head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
. Ministers of State are appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president. The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; elections were last held 8 September 2007 (Ernest Bai Koroma, APC, 54.6%; Solomon Berewa, SLPP, 45.4%). The president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms.
Legislative
The House of RepresentativesParliament of Sierra Leone
The unicameral Parliament of Sierra Leone is the country's legislative body. It is sometimes known as the House of Representatives.The current Parliament, formed following elections held on 14 May 2002, has a total of 124 members. 112 members are directly elected in multi-member constituencies...
has 124 members, 112 members elected for a four year term through proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
in 14 multi-seat constituencies with a constituency threshold of 12.5 % and 12 Paramount chiefs.
Political parties and elections
The next parliamentary and presidential elections in Sierra Leone will take place on August 11, 2007 (4 years ago...).Judiciary
There is a High Court, an Appeals Court, and a Supreme CourtSupreme Court of Sierra Leone
The Supreme Court of Sierra Leone is the highest court in Sierra Leone. It has final jurisdiction in all civil and criminal matters within Sierra Leone and its decisions cannot be appealed...
. The judicial system continues to function for civil cases though some regard it as handicapped by shortages of resources and qualified personnel. Judges are appointed by the President on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission with the approval of Parliament.
There also are magistrate and local courts and from these appeals lie to the superior courts of judicature.
The 1991 constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
created an ombudsman responsible for looking into complaints of abuses and capricious acts on the part of public officials. In 2000 the government promulgated the Anti-Corruption Act to combat corruption.
Local government
Traditionally, the basic unit of local government outside of FreetownFreetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
is the chiefdom, headed by a paramount chief
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
. Since 2004, each of the 13 districts and 6 major cities (Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Bo
Bo, Sierra Leone
Bo is the second largest city in Sierra Leone and the largest city in the Southern Province. It lies about 164 miles south-east of Freetown and had a population 149,957 in the 2004 census, with a current estimate is 231,494 . The city serve as the capital and administrative center of Bo District...
, Kenema
Kenema
Kenema is the third largest city in Sierra Leone and the largest city in the Eastern Province with a population of 128,402 in the 2004 census and a more recent estimate of 169,937...
, Makeni
Makeni
Makeni is the largest city in the Nortern Province of Sierra Leone and the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone. The city is the capital of Bombali District and had a population of 80,840 in the 2004 census and a current estimate of 105,900...
, Koidu and Bonthe) has an elected Local Council which is the highest political authority in the district / city.
External links
- Office of the Sierra Leone President
- Sierra Leone Government
- Special Court for Sierra Leone
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Elections
- African Elections Database
- http://books.google.com/books?id=jj4J-AXGDaQC&pg=PA983&lpg=PA983&dq=state+avenue+state+house+in+freetown+closed+to+public&source=bl&ots=JIlbx4olxv&sig=HFzmpvbA28Y_pq80DGPuaXG_nQo&hl=en&ei=j5ykTeuOIMaw0QHjrp2DCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false