MADRID, OCTOBER 4TH, 2007

We write to congratulate the people of Sierra Leone on the successful conclusion of the Legislative and Presidential Elections of August 11 and September 8, 2007. This exercise of political participation and citizenship shows the commitment of the people of Sierra Leone to democracy.

We are happy to see that, after more than a decade of suffering, Sierra Leone has conducted its first election without the presence of United Nations peacekeepers, yet with broad international support. Sierra Leone is maturing in the exercise of democratic governance, and we encourage the country and the people of Sierra Leone to continue on this path towards further democratic development.

We congratulate also the Government of Sierra Leone for providing the necessary conditions that allowed the people of Sierra Leone to exercise their civic and political rights through these elections. We congratulate the National Electoral Commission for its integrity and commitment to ensuring successful, transparent elections.

We wish to extend our congratulations to Ernest Bai Koroma on his inauguration as President and our very best wishes for a democratic, peaceful and successful future under his mandate.

We invite President Koroma to honour his commitment to supporting women’s political participation by placing women in at least 30% of government appointments. This is in line with targets stipulated in several international instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights signed by Sierra Leone, and Sierra Leone’s own Constitution. We also encourage the new President to exercise his office through inclusiveness, equity, consensus and continued dialogue with all the citizens of Sierra Leone.

For the past several months, the Club of Madrid has worked to support the democratic and electoral processes in Sierra Leone through a project on women’s political leadership, in partnership with the Campaign for Good Governance in Sierra Leone, and in with funding from the European Union and the Canadian International Development Agency. The Club of Madrid celebrates this electoral success and will continue its efforts to support Sierra Leone’s democracy.

Sincerely,

Mary Robinson   
Former President of Ireland
Vice President, Club of Madrid
Co-Chair of the Steering
Committee on Women, Political Participation and Leadership

Benjamin Mkapa
Former President of Tanzania
Member of Club of Madrid
Co-Chair of the Steering
Committee on Women, Political Participation and Leadership

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