SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone's ruling party nominates current Vice-President Solomon Berewa as its presidential candidate for August's landmark elections

Record ID: 453062

  • Title: SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone's ruling party nominates current Vice-President Solomon Berewa as its presidential candidate for August's landmark elections
  • Date: 10th July 2007
  • Summary: GROUP OF PEOPLE SINGING ABOUT BEREWA
  • Embargoed: 25th July 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Sierra Leone
  • Country: Sierra Leone
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2NOOG1VJKBJ4PF1OMVHV5792W
  • Story Text: Sierra Leone's ruling party nominates current vice-president Solomon Berewa as its presidential candidate for landmark elections in August. But the highly-anticipated election may be postponed due to infrastructure problems.
    Sierra Leone's ruling party, the Sierra Leone People's party (SLPP) has named current vice-president, Solomon Berewa, as its presidential candidate ahead of upcoming general elections. The polls are planned for August this year.
    Current president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, is constitutionally barred from running for another term. The elections will mark the first time a Sierra Leone president will voluntarily relinquish power since civil war broke out in 1991. The voting will also be a test of political stability in the former British colony which is having difficulty recovering from the 11-year conflict.
    Thousands of party members showed up to support Berewa - popularly known as "Solo B" - as he handed in his documents to the National Electoral Commission.
    Berewa, who is also head of the SLPP, has been vice-president of the country since May 2002. His political credentials also include serving as the country's attorney general and minister of justice.
    I have gone to every corner of this country, I have seen how poor," Berewa said after handing in his nomination. "When I see people joking with situation in this country, because they are sitting in very comfortable situations, but you only have to go beyond this building and see how poverty can stare in your face, these are the things that we are going to fight. Now that we have fought the war, we are going to fight this poverty."
    Berewa's running mate is Momodou Koroma, the current minister of foreign affairs.
    Although many people in the country are frustrated with the pace of economic recovery, SLPP supporters are keen for their leaders to stay at the country's helm.
    "We like Solomon Berewa because he is competent, he is capable, he is a very intelligent man and that's why we like him and the women are going to vote for him," said Isatu Jabbie, a business woman.
    The other main political parties, the All Peoples Congress (APC) and the People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDE), have also handed in their nominations, albeit with far less fanfare.
    "We have been suffering for too long in the hands of the All People's Congress opposition party. They used to beat us in our houses, and take us to the police station for no reason because we are Mende and belong to the SLPP so that is the reason why we will never leave this party until death," said another SLPP supporter.
    The elections may be delayed because the electoral commission says the rainy season has slowed down the installation of polling stations in remote rural areas.
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