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Sierra Leone: Ahmed Tejan Kabbah re-elected President in UN-assisted vote

Sierra Leone: Ahmed Tejan Kabbah re-elected President in UN-assisted vote

After receiving 70 per cent of the vote, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah has been re-elected for a five-year term as President of Sierra Leone in the general elections, which were conducted with wide-ranging assistance from the United Nations.

The National Electoral Commission announced official results on Sunday afternoon and President Kabbah was sworn in on the same day.

President Kabbah's Sierra Leone's People's Party won 83 seats of the 112 contested in Parliament in last week's elections.

The UN Mission in the country, known by its acronym UNAMSIL, carried out a wide range of security tasks, as mandated by the Security Council in resolution 1389 adopted in January. That resolution also authorized UNAMSIL to undertake election-related tasks as set out by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his report of 13 December 2001.

Those tasks included logistical support to the National Electoral Commission as well as the provision of wider security and deterrence throughout the period of preparation for the elections, the polling period itself, and the period immediately after the announcement of the election results. The Mission was in part mandated to assist in the transport of electoral materials and personnel, especially to hard-to-reach areas, and to facilitate the free movement of people, goods and humanitarian assistance throughout the country.