Sierra Leone's main opposition party says it will boycott parliament to protest alleged election fraud that resulted in a second term for President Ernest Bai Koroma.

The Sierra Leone People's Party is urging its representatives in parliament and local government to stay away from proceedings until “further notice.”

In a statement, the SLPP said it wanted an independent, international assessment of the election process because it believed the voting was rigged.

European monitors who assessed the November 17 polling praised the elections as largely peaceful and well-organized. But they criticized President Koroma's campaign for dominating pre-election media coverage and for using state resources for campaign activities.

On Tuesday, the country's elections commission released provisional results that indicate President Koroma's All People's Congress won 67 seats in the November 17 election. The commission said the SLPP captured 42 of the 124 seats in parliament.

The elections were Sierra Leone's third since ending a decade-long civil war in 2002.