Sierra Leone’s opposition challenger gets first term as a civilian
Freetown — Sierra Leone’s opposition challenger Julius Maada Bio secured his first term in office as a civilian on Wednesday when he was declared the winner of a controversial presidential run-off — but his opponent vowed to contest the result. Bio, a former soldier who briefly led a military junta more than two decades ago, won 51.81% of the ballots in last month’s election, according to official results. He beat Samura Kamara, who secured 48.19% of the vote, ending a decade in power for Kamara’s All Peoples’ Congress (APC) in the poor West African nation. Cheers and songs erupted among thousands of Bio’s supporters who were gathered in the capital Freetown on Wednesday evening. Shortly after the announcement, Bio was sworn in as president and handed a symbolic command baton by the country’s top judge. But hopes for a smooth transition were soon thrown into doubt after Kamara said he rejected the national election commission’s results. "We dispute the results and we will take legal...
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