Here's a bit of background... a very small bit. Sierra Leone is a complicated country... and the politics are sometimes beyond comprehension.

There are nine political parties registered to take part in the November 17th, 2012 election... and this election is to select four levels of government... President, Members of Parliament, Councils and Chiefdoms.

The ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) won an election in 2007. There have been many "grumblings" about how they won... including a rather suspicious cancelling of polling stations in the opposition stronghold areas. However, former President Kabbah (SLPP) handed over power and the APC have been in power since. The APC maintains a stronghold over the northern part of the country... and is predominantly made up of Temne and Loko tribe members. There are two predominant tribes in Sierra Leone (out of 26, apparently), the Temne and the Mende. The current President is Ernest Bai Koroma. His running mate is Sam Sumana.

The Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) took over power after the civil war... (the brutal 11-year civil conflict as it's sometimes referred to). Their stronghold is in the south and east of the country... and they are predominantly Mende tribe members. The SLPP "flagbearer" or Presidential candidate is Julius Maada Bio. His running mate is Kadi Sesay.

I'll try to dig up some background info on the leaders of the two main political parties.

Sierra Leone, in the 2007 runoff election, voted according to tribal and regional lines... dividing the country almost straight across... north vs south.

Many people continue to vote on tribal or along regional lines... People from the south and east tend to vote for SLPP. People living in the north tend to vote APC. The western area... urban and rural where Freetown is, is a bit of a swing area... but up to now has been dominated by APC members. The mayor of Freetown (rather the former mayor... he was recently removed because of a corruption conviction) and most of the Freetown City Council were/are APC.

So far... there have been isolated incidents of violence between supporters of both the APC and the SLPP. Some people have been hurt. Some houses have been burnt. Most observers and political pundits are assuming the level of violence will increase slightly... but it is anticipated to remain localized and hopefully controlled by the security sector (army and police). The UN troops are gone... but UNIPSIL and UNDP remain... UNIPSIL is the political arm of the UN while the UNDP is the program/project side.

The National Electoral Commission is running the show... and trying to keep a leash on the shenanigans... but it's difficult because of some of the personalities involved in this election.

As I say, Sierra Leone is a complicated place... and the politics are sometimes unbelievable. Stay tuned...
S/