“The US position is the US position”

Says US ambassador, David Reimer

By Mustapha Dumbuya

The United States Ambassador, David Reimer has clarified the United States government’s position regarding the outcome of the June 24 general elections in Sierra Leone. In an interview with Radio Democracy on Wednesday, 17 August 2023 Ambassador Reimer said that the US government is very concerned about the irregularities and inconsistencies of the June 24 general elections that were conducted by Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL).

He went further to state that US position remains US position. He said: “We have raised concerns about the integrity and credibility of the results. This is not my personal opinion, but rather the position of the US government. The US position remains the US position…”

David Reimer also urged for political dialogue to resolve the ongoing crisis in Sierra Leone and appealed to the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) to engage in governance rather than boycotting.

He said the US would not change its work “with the people of Sierra Leone”, including health programmes, but would review its government-to-government programmes, including a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact grant worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Ambassador expressed that for a government to have the MCC Scored Card they should conduct free fair and credible elections that will reflect to the will of the people.

The United State Ambassador to Sierra Leone David Reimer Asserts on the non-Acceptance of Sierra Leone’s general elections Results by United State of America and Urges for an Independent Review of the elections and Political Dialogue.

“The United States is concerned about irregularities in the results that were announced by the ECSL that includes a big difference between the ECSL announced results and the parallel vote tabulation, as well as inconsistencies that were analyzed by domestic and international observers,” Reimer said.

Speaking to Radio Democracy a local radio in Freetown, Ambassador Reimer emphasized that the US does not recognize the election results announced by the country’s chief electoral commissioner and outlined the implications for US-funded development programs, including the MCC Compact.

Ambassador Reimer underscored the importance of democratic good governance and free and fair elections as prerequisites for US government funding. He stated that the credibility of the election results is in question and highlighted the need for an impartial review of the election process.

A day after this interview, The Information Minister and Chief Minister went on Twitter challenging the Ambassador’s statements and asserting, “The government belongs to this country and the people are our bosses. We have a partnership with the US Government that understands the need to strengthen our own democratic institutions and not to undermine them,” Minister Bah said.

Concluding his message, Chief Minister Sengeh reaffirmed the Sierra Leone government’s dedication to the aspirations of the United States and highlighted the importance of building relationships on a broader scale, transcending individual egos. He emphasized, “We are committed to their dreams and hopes. The relationship between our country and any other state is bigger than any single individual’s ego or specific program.

Ambassador Reimer called for an independent individual, preferably from outside Sierra Leone and unaffiliated with the major political parties, to lead the review process. He emphasized that the review leader must have no family or ethnic ties to any of the political parties.