With less than two years to go before the 2028 presidential election, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has issued a solemn appeal to Parliament to pass a major electoral code reform without further delay. In a televised address on Sunday, he urged lawmakers to end weeks of deadlock and vote on a bill he describes as the product of years of consultation, one that the opposition views as a threat to the country’s democratic balance.
The proposed reform strikes at the heart of Sierra Leone’s electoral system. It would lower the threshold required to win the presidency from the current 55 percent to 50 percent plus one vote. It would also introduce proportional representation and require a 30 percent quota of political leadership positions for women. These changes would reshape the country’s electoral landscape well ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
Speaking on camera, Bio emphasized the collective and consultative nature of the process behind the proposal. « This bill reflects the contributions of citizens from every district, community and sector of our society, » he said, before issuing a pointed call to lawmakers: « I therefore make a clear and solemn appeal: let this bill be passed now. » He urged legislators to vote in the interest of the people and the future of democracy rather than along party lines.
The bill has deeply divided Sierra Leone’s political class. The main opposition force, the All People’s Congress, wants to keep the current 55 percent threshold, arguing that the higher bar forces candidates to build genuinely national support before reaching the presidency, strengthening the winner’s legitimacy. Its supporters fear that lowering the threshold to 50 percent plus one vote would make it easier to elect a president backed by a more fragmented base, risking a weaker presidential mandate. The government camp, for its part, points to practical benefits, including lower costs tied to organizing a potential runoff and reduced political tension linked to prolonged election cycles.
This parliamentary standoff is unfolding against the backdrop of a broader constitutional review launched by Bio, who firmly denied in early July any intention of using the process to stay in power beyond his second term, a scenario feared by part of the public and seen elsewhere on the continent. According to presidential explanations, the 1991 constitution needs modernizing to reflect the country’s current political and social realities. Some provisions could be adopted directly by Parliament, while so called entrenched clauses touching the fundamental pillars of the state would have to be put to a referendum.
The upcoming parliamentary vote on this electoral reform stands as a defining test of Sierra Leone’s political consensus ahead of 2028. A contested passage could reignite tension between the ruling majority and the opposition, while a calmer compromise would strengthen the credibility of the democratic process in a country where Bio was re elected to a second term in 2023 with 56.17 percent of the vote, and who currently also chairs the Economic Community of West African States.