A referendum to confirm the presidential candidate
Joseph Saidu Momoh
Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh, OOR, OBE (January 26, 1937 – August 3, 2003) served as President of Sierra Leone from November 1985 to 29 April 1992.
Early life and education
Joseph Saidu Momoh was born on January 26, 1937, in Binkolo, B ...
was held in
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
on 1 October 1985. It was the country's first direct vote for president. At the time, the country was a
one-party state
A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
with the
All People's Congress
The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 Apr ...
as the only legal party.
Momoh was named as the APC's presidential candidate after retiring president
Siaka Stevens
Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was ofte ...
persuaded several other hopefuls to stand down.
Voters only had the option of approving or rejecting his candidacy. Momoh's candidacy was approved by 99.85% of the votes, with just over 4,000 people voting no.
Results
References
{{Sierra Leonean elections
Presidential elections in Sierra Leone
Single-candidate elections
One-party elections
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
1985 in Sierra Leone
Election and referendum articles with incomplete results