The Chairman of the Political Parties Regulating Commission (PPRC), has revealed to this medium that the Commission has received four applications for permission to establish political parties from renowned citizens of the country.
Mr. Abdulai Mesianbay Bangura made this disclosure on Monday 6th March, 2023 in an exclusive interview with this medium. He added that, if these applications are granted by the commission, the total number of registered political parties in the country will sum up to 21. He further stated that the newly PPRC Act passed in Parliament in 2022 has given more powers to the PPRC not only as a Supervisory Commission but equally so has the Constitutional rights to regulate all Political Parties by ensuring that the conduct of members of political parties are in conformity with the constitution and also respect the constitution of their political parties. He went on to say that the Commission is prepared to minimize the cases of political parties in court by finding way to resolve them outside the court.
“Gone are those days when political parties rent offices for a temporary time and close them up after elections,” he warned, adding that, the commission is prepared to ensure that no political party will operate as a one man business. He said under the new PPRC Act, All Political Parties Registered with the Commission are required to produce receipt of payment for five years and staffs to run the Affairs of the party. He said the new Act also empowers the PPRC to deregister a political party if it fails to produce satisfactory financial evidence to run the party or failed to decentralize the party in all 16 districts of Sierra Leone.
“Throughout our electioneering history, most minority parties who could not complete the PPRC criteria were equally tolerated to compete with more bigger ones with the hope that they may improve their popularity and get more membership to solve their constrains,” he said, furthering that, under the new PPRC act, there is no such room, a political party can equally be prevented from taking part in a given electoral process or even ban for failing to complete the new regulatory elements.
The Chairman said the issue of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) whose former Chairman and Leader, Mr. Mohamed Kamarainba Mansary is trapped by the law has been amicably resolved with its remaining membership. He said the ADP members have been asked to form an interim body leading to their convention which he said, is almost in the pipeline and the Interim Body is expected to present the names of its delegate list for Ward, Constituency and National Level. He argued that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Sobeh was never side-line, explaining further by stating that, there are three factions. He said members of the two groups were once expelled and had never seek redress in court to defend their expulsion, clarifying that, until they do so, the commission will consider them as expelled officials with no more rights to intervene into the party’s affairs.
“That is why the PPRC by its constitutional mandate favours the Chairman Mr. Prince Coker to conduct the Convention in accordance with the Constitution of the party,” he stated. Mr. Bangura further appealed to members and supporters of political parties to distance themselves from insults or fracas, nothing that, a good politician is one who controls his emotions and anxiety.
