By Mohamed Kamara
A veteran election observer, Mr. Robert Collins, has raised concerns over the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), citing the recent Guinean referendum as a clear example of how Sierra Leone continues to lag behind its neighbors in ensuring inclusive electoral participation for citizens abroad.
Speaking from the Western Area West District, Mr. Collins commended the Guinean authorities for allowing Guinean nationals living in Sierra Leone to cast their votes during the just-concluded referendum that sought to determine whether the country’s junta government should be eligible to form a political party and contest future elections.
According to him, the ECSL played a coordinating role in facilitating the voting centers on behalf of Guinea — a move that, he said, demonstrated the logistical feasibility of diaspora voting, something Sierra Leone has never implemented in its own electoral process.
Mr. Collins noted that in both developed and developing nations, citizens living abroad are granted the right—not merely the privilege—to vote through their respective diplomatic missions. To make this possible, he explained, electoral institutions are usually allocated financial and material support to extend this constitutional right to their nationals overseas.
He further emphasized that the number of Sierra Leoneans abroad could easily be determined through data collected by the country’s embassies and consulates, though he admitted that some citizens remain unregistered.
Mr. Collins criticized Sierra Leone’s institutional shortcomings in electoral planning and decision-making, describing them as a reflection of a broader administrative weakness. He also referenced Statistics Sierra Leone, noting that the agency’s national population figures often fail to account for registered Sierra Leoneans living overseas.
He added that including diaspora registration data in future national statistics could help improve both demographic accuracy and electoral inclusivity.
“The Guinean experience should be an eye-opener for the ECSL,” Mr. Collins concluded. “If Guinea can successfully organize diaspora voting from Sierra Leone, then there is no excuse for us not to extend that same right to our own citizens abroad.”
