Sierra Leone's electoral commission authorized President Julius Maada Bio's candidature for a second term in office on Tuesday.

Sierra Leone's electoral commission authorized President Julius Maada Bio's candidature for a second term in office on Tuesday. The main opposition party's nominee Samura Kamara, who finished second in the most recent presidential election in 2018, has also been accepted by the commission.

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In a nation that was still recuperating from the 2014 Ebola outbreak before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Bio will campaign for office after a first term plagued by economic hardship and escalating inflation.

Several dozens of people were killed in rare anti-government protests in August of last year due to frustration over financial hardship and what people perceived as the government's failure to mitigate the effects of rising prices.

The 72-year-old Kamara claimed that the nation of West Africa faced "systemic challenges."The 72-year-old Kamara contended that the government of West Africa faced "systemic challenges."

"Sierra Leone cannot still fend for itself, and we cannot provide electricity for the nation. As a result, we cannot have sustained economic growth and progressive development while also lacking adequate infrastructure; he told Reuters in an interview this week.

Bio, 58, declared his intention to keep working on expanding access to public education, which he made accessible at the elementary and secondary levels during his first term, and on increasing agricultural productivity to advance food security.

In June, voters will also choose mayors and members of municipal councils.