Sierra Leone's president wins second term without need for runoff, election commission announces

Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio has won a second term in office, receiving 56.17 per cent of ballots cast and narrowly clearing the threshold for avoiding a runoff in the West African nation, electoral officials said on Tuesday.

Main opposition candidate Samura Kamara received 41.16 per cent of the vote, according to official results from Saturday's election.

The announcement comes after supporters of both parties had claimed to have won in recent days, with Kamara saying that he was on an “irreversible path to an overwhelming victory”.

He also alleged that security forces had opened fire Sunday on a celebration at his party's headquarters, though police denied having fired live bullets.

Bio has faced increasing criticism because of debilitating economic conditions that Kamara pledged to improve. Nearly 60 per cent of Sierra Leone's population of more than 7 million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa.