Act, 1999

ACTS Supplement to the Sierra Leone Gazette Extraordinary Vol. CXXX, No. 35 dated 23rd July, 1999 SIGNED this 23rd day of July, 1999 ALHAJI AHMAD TEJAN KABBAH, President. (LS) No. 4 Sierra Leone 1999 The Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (Participation in Political and Democratic Process) Act, 1999 [Margin: Short title.] Being an Act to facilitate the transformation of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone into a political movement and the assumption by members of the Front of any public offices assigned to them pursuant to the Lomé Peace Agreement. [23rd July, 1999] [Margin: Date of Commencement.] 2 No. 4 Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone 1999 (Participation in Political and Democratic Process) Act WHEREAS by clause 3 of Article III of the Peace Agreement it is provided that—"Within a period of thirty days, following the signing of the present Agreement, the necessary legal steps shall be taken by the Government of Sierra Leone to enable the RUF/SL to register as a political party": AND WHEREAS by clause 2 of Article IV of the Agreement it is also provided that "........necessary legal steps shall be taken by the Government of Sierra Leone, within a period of fourteen days following the signing of the present Agreement, to amend relevant laws and regulations that may constitute an impediment or bar to RUF/SL and AFRC personnel holding public office: AND WHEREAS it is desirable that appropriate legislation be enacted accordingly: NOW, THEREFORE, it is enacted by the President and Members of Parliament in this present Parliament assembled as follows:— [Margin: Registration of RUF/SL as political party. Act No. 7 of 1995.]

(1) Subject to sections 5,6 and 7 of the Political Parties Act, 1995, it shall be lawful for the Interim National Electoral Commission, upon application thereto by the RUF/SL, to issue to the RUF/SL a provisional certificate of registration as a political party upon compliance by the RUF/SL to the satisfaction of the Commission with only paragraphs (a) (b) and (f) of subsection (l) of section 4 of that Act. [Margin: Act No. 7 of 1995.] (2) The Commission shall, by Government Notice, publish the terms and conditions or any other arrangement, under the Political Parties Act, 1995 which it may agree with the RUF/SL for the compliance by the RUF/SL with paragraphs (c), (d) and (e) of subsection (1) of section 4 of that Act. [Margin: Act No. 7 of 1995.] (3) Where the RUF/SL has complied, to the satisfaction of the Commission, with paragraphs (a), (b) and (f) of subsection (1) of section 4 of the Political Parties Act, 1995 and the terms and conditions or any other arrangement published in the Government Notice referred to in subsection (2), the Commission shall issue to the RUF/SL a final certificate of registration as a political party No. 4 Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone 1999 3 (Participation in Political and Democratic Process) Act [Margin: Act No. 7 of 1995.] (4) Subject to subsection (2) of section 3 of the Political Parties Act, 1995, the RUF/SL may, upon the receipt of a provisional certificate of registration, commence mobilization towards final registration under subsection (3). [Margin: Registration of members of RUF/SL and AFRC as electors Act No. 15 of 1995.]

(1) As from the commencement of this Act, the Commission shall open special registers for the registration of any member of the RUF/SL or the AFRC who wishes to be registered as an elector under the Franchise and Electoral Registration Act, 1995. [Margin: Act No. 15 of 1995.] (2) For the purposes of the registration of any person as an elector under this section, it shall be sufficient if such person complies, to the satisfaction of the Commission, with only section 14 of the Franchise and Electoral Registration Act, 1995, anything in that Act or any other law to the contrary, notwithstanding. (3) Pursuant to subsection (3) of section 5 of the Franchise and Electoral Registration Act, 1995, the Commission shall, by order, specify places where members of the RUF/SL or the AFRC may be registered as electors under that Act. [Margin: Registration of members of RUF/SL or AFRC nominated for public office.]

Where any member of the RUF/SL or the AFRC who has been nominated for any public office is hindered in the holding of that public office because he is not an elector under paragraph (c) of section 75 of the Constitution, the Commission shall afford him every facility to register so as to remove the hindrance. [Margin: Interpretation.]

"Commission" means the Interim National Electoral Commission referred to in section 3 of the Constitution Reinstatement (Consequential Provisions) Act, 1996; [Margin: Act No. 2 of 1996.] "Peace Agreement" means the Peace Agreement dated 7th July, 1999 and signed at Lomé, Togo by the President in the name of Sierra Leone, of the one part, and the Leader of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone, of the other part. 4 No. 4 Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone 1999 (Participation in Political and Democratic Process) Act PASSED IN Parliament this 20th day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine. J. A. CARPENTER, Clerk of Parliament. THIS PRINTED IMPRESSION has been carefully compared by me with the Bill which has passed Parliament and found by me to be a true and correctly printed copy of the said Bill. J. A. CARPENTER, Clerk of Parliament.