Vote counting is currently underway following Sierra Leone’s presidential elections held on Wednesday.
The country’s National Election Commission (NEC) Chairman Mohamed Conteh has called for calm and patience as the exercise continues.
Conteh’s call comes following an incident in which the police went to the office of main opposition candidate Julius Maada Bio, demanding that it be searched.
The police said they had received reports indicating that the office – which is being uses as a temporary center to monitor the election – was being used to hack into the systems.
Bio and his supporters have however denied the allegation, terming it an act of intimidation.
A spokesman for the NEC allayed the fears, saying their systems cannot be hacked. This is because Sierra Leone has an entirely manual voting system.
Speaking in the capital Freetown on Thursday, Mr Conteh said they “value accuracy above speed” during a press conference in Freetown on Thursday.
“Please be patient and peaceful,” he added.
Results are expected to start streaming in any time after Thursday, though the official result of the vote is not expected until a couple of weeks later.
