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National Election Watch (NEW) 2023 Electoral Cycle Report

National Election Watch – Sierra Leone launched its 2023 Electoral Cycle Report with the theme: Building on an Electoral Reform Agenda. The report captures 43 recommendations directed to 8 institutions.

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NEW held a media breakfast meeting at the NEW Brookfields Hotel

NEW Holds One-Day Technical Meeting on Electoral Legal Reforms National Election Watch (NEW) with support from the International Republican Institute (IRI) Read More...​

The purpose of the meeting was to ensure the district-level structure of NEW is knowledgeable of the reforms that have taken place on the electoral laws of Sierra Leone ahead of the June 2023 general elections. This will position the NEW district structure well to observe the electoral processes effectively, especially in relation to how EMBs and other elections Stakeholders adhere to the country’s electoral laws in the pursuit of their mandate Read More…

National Election Watch (NEW) has on 17th April 2023, climaxed its civic engagement with a meeting with heads of NEW member organisations in the Western Area Urban District, at the Atlantic Hotel at Lumley Beach in Freetown.

The engagement was attended by all of the targeted 38 heads of organisations in the district. The participants were taken through the NEW Code of conduct, NEW 2023 observation Strategy and the Public Elections Act 2023.
The German Ambassador to Sierra Leone, HE Jens Kraus-Massè and the representative of the EU Delegation to Sierra Leone, Enrico Sborgi, made statements at the official opening of the meeting in which both commended NEW for their continous efforts towards election observation. They emphasized the role of civil society in democratic building as very important and encouraged NEW to continue the good work they have been doing over the years…Read More

In Preparation for the June 2023 Elections, NEW Engages it's 400 Plus Member Organizations Across the Country.

National Election Watch (NEW) completed a two-day civic engagements with heads of member organisations of NEW and the wider civil society on Friday, 14th April 2023. The two-day exercise commenced on Wednesday, 12 April 2023 and brought together 425 heads of organisations drawn from all the districts of the country. …Read More

NEW Starts Workshop on it's 2023 Election Observation Strategy

National Election Watch (NEW) today, Wednesday 22nd March 2023, starts a two-day workshop on its 2023 Election Observation Strategy with its partners at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown. The workshop is organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) with support from the European Union in Sierra Leone (EU). It is attended by the EU, National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI) and USAID. The purpose of the workshop is to bring together donor partners who are supporting NEW and potential partners and get them to better understand NEW’s 2023 election observation strategy to enhance coordination and better outcomes…Read More

NEW Starts Two Days National Meeting in Kenema National Election Watch (NEW) today, Tuesday 23rd August 2022, started a two-day National Meeting at the Sierra Leone Teachers Union Hall on Wahman Abu Road in Kenema, Eastern Sierra Leone.

 
The meeting brought together over 80 participants drawn from all the NEW structures across the country, including Strategic Management Committee (SMC), Regional and District Coordinators, Chiefdom Focal Persons and Secretariat staff …Read More

NEW Holds Information Sharing Meeting with SMC Members and Chief Electoral Commissioner of ECSL

National Election Watch (NEW) today, Wednesday 17 August 2022 held a one-day meeting with the Strategic Management Committee (SMC) and the Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC) of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) at NEW’s Murray Town Office in Freetown…Read More

NEW Conducts Pre-election Assessment in Constituencies 005 and 073 in  Port Loko and Kailahun  Districts respectively.

NEW Conducts Training of Observers in Kenema and Kono Districts

National Election Watch with support from the European Union (EU), conducted training and deployment of observers and supervisors on 11th November 2021, ahead of Bye-elections in Ward 069 and Ward 091 in Kenema and Kono respectively.…Read More

National Election Watch (NEW) joined the #EUBeachCleanup2021

today, 16th October 2021, at the Lumley and Aberdeen Beach. The Earth is what we all have in common and so it’s our responsibility to keep our environment clean…Read More

NEW Observes the Nomination Exercise for Councilors in Ward 069 in Kenema and Ward 091 in Kono District.

NEW with support from the European Union (EU), observed the nomination exercise conducted by National Electoral Commission (NEC), held on 12th and 13th October 2021 at the NEC District Office in Kenema and Kono Districts. The following political parties successfully filled in candidates…Read More

NEW Observes Declaration of PC Election in Kpanga Chiefdom Pujehun District

NEW observed the Declaration of Paramount Chieftaincy election on 4th of October 2021. A team from Local Government comprising the Director, Provincial Secretary South, Senior District Officer Bombali , Paramount Chiefs, Regent Chiefs and NEC Officials conducted the Declaration Exercise in Pujehun. Other stakeholders include Resident Minister South, Hon Constituency 103, ONS DIstrict Coordinator Pujehun, LUC Pujehun Division, Commanding Officer RSLAF 14 Battalion and the Press.
The entire process was peaceful with 20 aspirants from different Ruling Houses in attendance. The process started officially after various stakeholders made their statements followed with Right Declaration…Read More

NEW Conducts Training of Observers in Koinadugu District

National Election Watch with support from the European Union (EU), conducted Training and deployment of 300 observers and 21 supervisors on the 30th September and 1st October 2021, ahead of the Chairperson and Ward 155 Bye-elections in Koinadugu District slated for 2nd October 2021. The trainings were conducted in the following locations: Kabala Town, Fadugu, Bafodia, Kondembaia and Yiffin….Read More

PPRC Meets NEW and Gives Updates on Ongoing Legal Reforms

The Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) today, Wednesday 28th September 2021, met with the leadership of National Election Watch (NEW) at the latter’s Sawi Drive Office, to update NEW on the ongoing legal review of the PPRC. The meeting was part of NEW’s follow-up engagement with institutions that are tasked with the responsibility to provide leadership for the implementation of recommendations of the Election Observer Mission (EOM) in Sierra Leone after 2018 elections…Read More

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National Election Watch (NEW) with support from the European Union (EU) held a three day Retreat for the senior leadership of the Coalition at the Makambo Village Hotel in Makeni on 15th to 17th September 2021.

NEW Holds Three Days Retreat in Makeni
The Retreat brought together members of the Strategic Management Committee (SMC), Regional and District Coordinators and Secretariat staff. The main purpose of the Retreat was to enable the NEW leadership to thoroughly and critically assess progress so far made in the implementation of the ongoing EU funded project titled: “Enhancing Domestic Electoral Observer Organisations and Citizens participation in Democratic Governance Reforms Leading to the 2022 and 2023 Electoral Cycle”, identify challenges encountered and lessons learned during the period under review…Read More

NEW validates it's Membership Policy, M& E Manual and Administrative Procedural Manual today 2nd March, 2021

PPRC Says They’re Willing To Work With NEW

The Chairman of the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), Mr Abdulai Masiyambay Bangurah, said his institution was ready and willing to work with the National Election Watch (NEW) to continue to promote democratic governance in the country. He made this statement at the meeting he had with the leadership of NEW in his OAU Drive office on Monday 8th February 2021…Read More
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NEW Meets With The Attorney General and Minister of Justice

NEW continues it’s bilateral engagement with stakeholder institutions and has today met with the Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Justice on February 4th 2021, at his Guma Building office, Freetown. The purpose of the meeting bordered around 3 key areas;
▪️The Election Petition Cases after the 2018 elections.
▪️The status of the 2018 Election Observer Mission (EOM) Recommendations that have bearing on legal reform processes and
▪️Follow up on the status of the Constitutional Review Process…Read More

NEW Meets With NCRA To Be Updated On The Processes of the Authority

NEW as part of its bilateral engagements with institutions that have stake in electoral processes in Sierra Leone, met with the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) today, Wednesday 3rd February 2021 at their Walpole Street office in Freetown. The purpose of the meeting was to get update on the Authority’s overall Activities and to also know if there are any possible challenges along the line.
The Director General (DG) of NCRA, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, thanked NEW for its commitment and partnership with the Authority and hope this partnership continues. In his update the DG informed the team that…Read More

NEW Presents Civil Society’s Position Paper on Decentralization Policy to Parliamentary Committee

 National Election Watch (NEW) has today, 4th December 2020 presented Civil Society’s Position Paper on the Decentralization Policy to the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government and Rural Development at Committee Room in the House of Parliament in Freetown. Presenting the Position Paper, National Coordinator of NEW, Rev James Lahai, explained the leadership role NEW played in bringing Civil Society(CSO) leaders from across the country to Freetown to review the draft Decentralization Policy and to input into it. This Position Paper, he said, is the product of that engagement…Read More

NEW Holds National Meeting in Port Loko District

National Election Watch (NEW) with support from the European Union (EU) organizes a 2 day national meeting at Port Loko District (19th and 20th November 2020.) The meeting brought together members from the Strategic Management Committee (SMC), all Regional Coordinators and Secretaries, all District Coordinators and Secretaries and Secretariat Staff and for the host district, all District team members and 2 chiefdom focal persons within the Port Loko city were in attendance…Read More
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National Election Watch Validates it's MEAL tools at the secretariat today 28th October 2020.

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National Election Watch Sierra Leone (NEW-SL) Signs Memorandum of Understanding with the National Electoral Commission (NEC)

NEW-SL 19th October 2020 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NEC at the Commission’s head office at OAU Drive Tower Hill in Freetown. Director of Outreach and Communications at NEC, Mr Albert Massaquoi, chaired this short, but impressive ceremony. Chairperson of NEW-SL, Mrs Marcella Samba- Sesay, said the signing of the MoU was to further cement the existing relationship between the two institutions, and to send out a clear message that the two institutions were willing to work together to ensure all elections-related processes were transparent, inclusive and participatory…Read More

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NEW Presents CSOs Position Paper on the Draft Decentralization Policy to the Minister of Local Government

National Election Watch (NEW) yesterday, Tuesday 6th October 2020 formally presented civil society’s position on the draft Decentralization Policy to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development at the Ministry’s Youyi Building Office in Freetown.
The Position Paper is the outcome of the meeting of NEW and civil society leaders from across the country held in Freetown on Thursday 22nd September 2020 to specifically discuss the draft Decentralization Policy…Read More
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Civil Society Consultation on the Review of the Decentralization Policy

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Civil society leaders across the country met at the Buxton School Hall Freetown on Tuesday 22nd September 2020 to input into the draft Decentralization Policy by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD). The presentation of the policy statements and justification was done by Mr. Alex Bonapha, the Director of Decentralization and Local Government. Civil society leaders agreed that the policy is quite progressive for local level democracy, citizen’s participation and inclusion…Read More

 NEW holds internal consultations on the draft decentralization policy

We welcome the idea from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to open the draft document for possible feedback as citizens participation must be at the heart of policy formulation. In attendance were members from the Strategic Management Committee (SMC), Regional Coordinators and Secretariat Staff. NEW will be briefing the wider Civil Society on the 22nd September 2020, to elicit feedback on the document…Read More

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About Us

NEW, is a coalition of over 375 national and international civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), established in 2002 primarily to observe the electioneering process, monitor the transparency and credibility of elections in Sierra Leone and increase the public’s confidence in the legitimacy of the results.

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Our Mission

Strengthen network of local and national civil society elections observers, civic and electoral education, Monitor national democratic processes to ensure transparent and acceptable outcomes  Work with government and democratic institutions to stimulate an active citizenry whilst strengthen democratic governance.

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NEW Structure

National Election Watch structure Organogram 2010
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NEW Photo Gallery

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