By Jonathan Leigh, Freetown.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) yesterday in a
press conference at Bintumani Hotel in Freetown
announced the arrival of the second pre-election
delegates in Sierra Leone, a multinational delegation
composed of experienced political and civic leaders
from Africa, Europe and America.
According to the head of the delegation, Arthur Agnos,
former Mayor of San Franciso, United States, the
purpose of their being here is to express the
international community’s interest in and support for
democratic governance and the conduct of multi party
elections in Sierra Leone and to provide an impartial
and accurate report while promising to offer the
people of Sierra Leone the best hope for attaining
sustained peace and development in the country.
The delegation will be in Sierra Leone for only a
week; to witness the start of the elections campaign
and hope to have about forty observers on the ground
to monitor the elections.
Nora Schimming Chase, a
Namibian Member of Parliament added that the
delegation will conduct its activities in a non-
partisan manner in accordance with Sierra Leonean law,
the NEC guidelines and code of conduct for observers
and international standards for election.
Other members of the delegation are Paula Newberg
International Consultant and Senior Advisor from the
United States, Keith Jennings NDI Senior Residence
Country Director in Nigeria, Costel Popa, President,
European Network of election monitoring organization
from Romania, Bode Makinde, Financial Secretary,
Nigerian Bar Association and Noel Boxer, NDI Resident
Country Director in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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