Sierra Leone’s new parliament opened Thursday with most opposition members refusing to be sworn in, leading to confusion about the ramifications for legislative business over the next five years.Eighty-one newly elected members of parliament from the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and 14 indirectly elected paramount chief MPs, hereditary leaders from traditional ruling families, took the oath Thursday following general elections last month.The opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party had previously said it will not take part in any level of governance in the country, from parliament to local councils, due to what it called “fraudulent” results of the June 24 general elections.One opposition member, Mohamed Bangura, was nonetheless sworn in.The APC won 54 seats, according to results announced by the electoral commission, which the party and a domestic observer group have contested.With 81 of 149 seats, the SLPP would hold a 54 percent majority. The paramount chiefs are expected to largely vote in line with the ruling party. Even so, it would fall short of the two-thirds majority necessary for certain types of legislation to be passed, such as amendments to entrenched clauses of the constitution.It is unclear, however, whether the APC members who have not been sworn in would be counted in such cases.A two-thirds majority is also necessary to elect the speaker of parliament. The constitution states that MPs may vote for a speaker before being sworn in.The APC and SLPP were the only parties elected due to a new 11.9 percent vote threshold that blocked minority parties and independents from securing seats.International observers condemned a “lack of transparency” in the ballot count following the June elections.A national observation group noted significant discrepancies between voter results for presidential, parliamentary and local council elections.The APC has said it will not challenge the results in court because of the judiciary’s “lack of impartiality and competence”.
