Freetown - Voters in Sierra Leone were awaiting a high court
ruling on Monday on whether a presidential run-off vote will go
ahead.
A high court in the capital, Freetown, is scheduled to decide at 1200
GMT the way forward for the election, two days after it temporarily
paused the vote, originally scheduled for Tuesday.
The run-off was supposed to see opposition candidate Julius Maada Bio
face off against ruling party candidate Samura Kamara.
High court justice Abdulrahman Mansaray granted an interim injunction
sought by a member of the ruling All People's Congress (APC) to halt
the election over fraud claims.
Leaders of 27 civil society organizations issued a statement
that condemned the ruling, saying it was a ploy by the APC to
manipulate the election.
Bio called the injunction a delaying tactic by the ruling party that
endangered "the peace and stability of our country."
In the election earlier in March, Bio of the opposition Sierra Leone
People's Party (SLPP) won a razor-thin victory, gaining 43.3 per cent
of the vote to his rival Kamara's 42.7 per cent.
A run-off election was set for March 27, as no candidate reached the
55 per cent of the votes needed to win outright.
Incumbent Ernest Bai Koroma is bowing out after serving two five-year
terms in office - the constitutional limit - but was also dogged by
claims of corruption and mismanagement from the opposition.