General elections were 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 to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

on 25 May 1962, just over a year after the country gained independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. This was the first to be held under

universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

. The elections were won by the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), although the party received fewer votes than independent candidates.

Dieter Nohlen Dieter Nohlen (born 6 November 1939) is a German academic and political scientist. He currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Heidelberg. An ex ...

, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', pp798-799 SLPP leader

Milton Margai Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai (7 December 1895 – 28 April 1964) was a Sierra Leonean physician and politician who served as the country's head of government from 1954 until his death in 1964. He was titled chief minister from 1954 to 196 ...

remained

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Campaign

A total of 216 candidates contested the 62 seats, of which seven were won unopposed; four by the SLPP, two by 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 Ap ...

(APC) and one by an independent one. The SLPP nominated 59 candidates, the APC 32 and the

Sierra Leone Progressive Independence Movement Sierra Leone Progressive Independence Movement (also known as 'Dawoh' ('the pot')) was a political party in Sierra Leone, led by Paramount Chief from Kono District, Kono, Tamba Sungu Mbriwa. The party was founded in 1958, through the merger of the K ...

and the United Progressive Party four each. The other 117 candidates were independents.

Dolf Sternberger Dolf Sternberger (originally ''Adolf Sternberger''; 28 July 1907 – 27 July 1989) was a German people, German philosopher and political scientist at the University of Heidelberg. Biography Dolf Sternberger was born in Wiesbaden in 1907. He is ...

, Bernhard Vogel,

& Klaus Landfried (1978) ''Die Wahl der Parlamente: Band II: Afrika, Zweiter Halbband'', p1903

Results

References

{{Sierra Leonean elections Elections in Sierra Leone

1962 in Sierra Leone Election and referendum articles with incomplete results May 1962 in Africa