Sierra Leone's current president, Julius Maada Bio, has announced his victory in the 2023 presidential election, securing a second term. However, his win has been met with significant opposition and allegations of electoral malpractice.

Official figures indicate Bio received 56% of the votes, while his main rival, Samura Kamara, trailed behind with 41%. Kamara has strongly contested these results, claiming his team was excluded from the ballot counting process and denouncing the election as a "daylight robbery" and a blow to the country's democracy. He has outright rejected the declared outcome.

International observers have also expressed concerns regarding the election's legitimacy. The Carter Center, a U.S.-based organization, has voiced doubts about the integrity of the electoral process, although they have not presented concrete evidence of fraud.

Bio, a former military officer, has led Sierra Leone since 2018. His presidency has coincided with economic hardship, escalating crime rates, widespread violence, and political instability. In 2019, in response to a surge in reported sexual assaults, he declared rape a national emergency. Both Bio's Sierra Leone People's Party and Kamara's All People's Congress party have traded accusations of violence and intimidation leading up to the election.