The former Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sierra Leone, Hon. Sengepoh Soloman Thomas, has been elected Speaker. Sengepoh garnered 128 votes, the highest number of votes following a voting process that extended into a fourth round on Thursday in Freetown.
The election commenced with two contenders vying for the role of Speaker. The ruling Sierra Leone’s People’s Party (SLPP) put forth Hon. Sengepoh Soloman Thomas, while the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) nominated Hon. Daniel Brima Koroma.
Per the constitutional stipulation of Sierra Leone, a two-thirds majority, equivalent to 98 votes, was imperative for the Speakership. However, after three rounds of balloting, neither candidate met this criterion.
In the initial round, Hon. Sengepoh Soloman Thomas clinched 93 votes, compared with 52 for Hon. Daniel Brima Koroma. The second round witnessed a surge in Thomas’s favour with 96 votes, while Koroma secured 49. The third round closed with 95 and 50 votes, respectively.
Subsequently, APC’s nominee, Hon. Daniel Brima Koroma, gracefully withdrew after the third round, paving the way for Hon. Sengepoh Soloman Thomas to emerge as the sole candidate in the decisive fourth round.
Born on May 14th, 1976, in Bo, Southern Region of Sierra Leone, Hon. Sengepoh Soloman Thomas is a distinguished Lawyer. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sierra Leone, LLB (Hons.), and BL from the Sierra Leone Law School.
