Claim: Sierra Leone was voted as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Verdict: True! The United Nations official website published that Sierra Leone is elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Full Text: Sierra Leone held its fifth election on June 24, 2023, since its decade-long civil war ended in 2002. In the lead-up to the election, the country experienced some hot crises in 2022, leaving many dead, including security officers.
A few days after the country’s voting day, there was a clash between citizens and state security officers, leaving one person dead.
Giving a comparative analysis of the just-ended Sierra Leone elections and lessons Liberia can enrol, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), Boakai Fofana said, Sierra Leone and Liberia have an economic situation, averring, Sierra Leone’s economic situation is far worse than Liberia, something he said led to a political crisis in 2022 that killed twenty-two (22) people.
He can be heard at the (1:45:39 to 1:46:28) of panel discussion on the OK Morning Rush.
But dismissing what he termed as shameful on the part of Deputy Minister Fofana to compare the success of President George Weah with Sierra Leone’s President Julius Madaa Bio, Mohammed Ali said, President Bio has given Sierra Leone an international presence by making it to be “elected as a non-permanent member to the UN Security Council.”
The UP Campaign Spokesman furthers his assertion from 1:47:57 to 1:50:49 of the show saying, there are lots of dissimilarities between President Weah and President Bio, for which they can not be compared.
But did the UP Campaign Spokesman get his facts right? What does it mean for a country to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council? TSM checks that.
Verification: On June 6, 2023, the United Nations published on its official website that five countries have been elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The five countries included Algeria, Guyana, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia.
In the publication, the President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly is seen congratulating the five countries for being elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
What is the UN Security Council?
The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or an act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorising the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
How can a country become part of the UN Security Council?
The Security Council is composed of 15 countries, five of which – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – are permanent members, granting them the right to veto any resolution or decision.
The 10 non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly, which comprises all 193 UN Member States and is in line with geographical distribution by region for two-year terms.
Voting is conducted by secret ballot and candidates must receive a two-thirds majority, or 128 votes, even if they run uncontested.
Liberia has been elected one time in 1961 as a member of the UN Security Council, while Sierra Leone has been elected more than once.
Conclusion: Unity Party Campaign Spokesman’s claim that Sierra Leone was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council is true.
