Sierra Leone election: How to tell if the polls will be rigged

As election day draws near, the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) is stepping up its campaign to put pressure on the electoral commission to hold a credible poll and on the ruling party to respect the will of the people. Having initially complained about the state of the electoral roll and a last-minute change to the electoral system, opposition leaders have gone through the gears.

In their latest salvo, they called for the electoral commission to be disbanded and replaced with an “international accredited electoral body”. The opposition then organised a protest that led to clashes with the police. So what are the APC so worried about, and how well founded are their fears?

Over the last few months I have received a number of messages warning that the elections will be manipulated in various ways – through repression, censorship of critical voices, and the last minute change to the