Sierra Leone’s President Wins Re-Election

Posted November 23rd, 2012 at 4:55 pm (UTC-5)
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Election officials in Sierra Leone say President Ernest Bai Koroma has won re-election with more than 58 percent of the vote.

The head of the National Election Commission announced Friday that President Koroma beat his main rival, Julius Maada Bio, who took just over 37 percent of the vote.

No results were announced for parliamentary elections, which took place at the same time as the presidential poll, on November 17.

President Koroma faced eight challengers in the election and needed to win at least 55 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off.

The elections were the third set of polls since the end of Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war in 2002.

Mr. Koroma won the last presidential poll in 2007 in a runoff vote and has been praised for his progress on improving the country's infrastructure.

Main opposition candidate Bio briefly served as military leader of the nation in 1996 before handing power to a short-lived civilian administration.