Freetown, 27th July 2026 – The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) has called on Parliament to use the ongoing constitutional amendment process to correct a historical wrong in the country’s governance framework.
In its official position paper submitted to Parliament last month, HRCSL welcomed several progressive provisions in the draft Constitution of Sierra Leone (Amendment) Act, 2025, but raised concerns about clauses that could undermine democratic rights and stability.
One of the Commission’s strongest recommendations relates to Section 54 (8) of the extant law, which currently allows the removal of a sitting President or Vice President solely on the grounds of losing party membership. HRCSL argued that this provision was misused in the past to sack a Vice President, creating a constitutional crisis.
“HRCSL notes that this is an opportunity to clearly address the case of the former Vice President who was sacked by the President following an allegation of the loss of party membership.
HRCSL therefore recommends that the expression, “the loss of party membership ALONE (emphasis ours) shall not remove a sitting President or Vice President from office”, should be completely removed from the law. It should not be one of the conditions for removing a President or Vice President from office.”
The Commission also made several other recommendations: Search and Nomination Committee: Representatives should be appointed by their respective organizations, not the President, to ensure fairness and transparency. Independent Candidates: Financial capacity requirements should be scrapped, as they are discriminatory; nomination fees should be equal for party and independent candidates.
Electoral Petitions: The timeframe for filing petitions before the Supreme Court should be extended from three days to 14 days. Thresholds for Run-Offs: The minimum threshold for presidential elections should be reduced from 20% to 15% to avoid unnecessary run-offs.
It also called for a newly elected President to be sworn in within 90 days to ensure smooth transitions. HRCSL Vice Chairperson Victor Idrissa Lansana, who signed the submission, commended Parliament and the Attorney-General’s office for opening the process to public dialogue. He stressed that adopting these recommendations would strengthen electoral justice, inclusivity, and the rule of law.
