Sierra Leone legislators brawl in the parliament over electoral reform

Sierra Leone legislators brawl in the parliament over electoral reform

According to reports, a scuffle erupted in Sierra Leone’s parliament on Wednesday as members debated a proposed amendment to the electoral system that would allow for proportional representation in next year’s election.

Representatives from the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) can be seen punching each other and hurling chairs in the footage. The electoral commission has suggested switching to a proportional representation system for the June 2023 local and parliamentary elections, which will take place on the same day as the presidential vote, a decision that has been opposed by the opposition.

The government supports the idea, but it needs to be approved by parliament. The chairman of parliament’s information committee, Matthew Sahr Nyuma, confirmed that a fight had broken out. He said, “It was about a statutory instrument that gives a mandate to the electoral commission to make regulations, and our colleagues refused to follow procedures of parliament and they decided to misbehave.”