Sierra Leone/England (Commonwealth Union)_Award-winning British actor Idris Elba OBE, best known for his roles as Nelson Mandela in the biography flick Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Wire, and Luther, has appealed to the people and leaders of Sierra Leone to have a peaceful election, which is scheduled for Saturday. The actor has Sierra Leonean heritage and citizenship and relayed his message in Pidgin English saying, “This election please, let it be peaceful.”
Reminding people of the power they hold with their votes, Elba reiterated that if the country is destroyed by shortsightedness leading to violence, it is the people themselves who will suffer, having to patch the country back together again. He also reminded the 3.4 million voters that not just the whole of Africa but the world was watching, urging the people to think about their future for the long term.
Elba was joined in this call for peaceful elections in Sierra Leone by former Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who leads the Commonwealth Observer Group. He asked Sierra Leoneans to ensure a peaceful election that reflects the will of the people. He stated that more than 2.5 billion people of the Commonwealth would be watching the outcome of the elections (more than 60 percent of them are young people under the age of 30) in solidarity and hope.
Sierra Leone with its population of 8.4 million people, is one of West Africa’s smallest but oldest states and now faces its fifth election since the brutal 10-year civil war. This is the country’s sixth presidential vote since the military coup in 1992 with two main contenders – President Julius Madaa Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party and Dr Samura Kamara of the All People’s Congress hoping to get the prized seat. The new parliament after the election will constitute 135 Members of Parliament and 14 Paramount Chief Members of Parliament.
