On Thursday, 28th July 2022, a team from the Chinese Embassy headed by Charge d’ Affaires a. i. Mr. Li Xiaoyong paid a courtesy visit on the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone,and handed over some office furniture and IT equipment to the Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairman Mr. Mohamed Kenewui Konneh.
Mr. Li stated that the donation represents a sincere gesture from the Chinese people to support Sierra Leone in its electoral process. He also expressed his confidence that with the joint efforts of the Sierra Leonean people and the international community, the Electoral Commission would successfully carry out its sacred duty to conduct a successful election.
When talking about democracy, Mr.Li averred that there has never been a single democracy model that fits all countries, and that China’s socialist democracy is based on its own realty,the people’s status as masters of the country is its real essence. Since the 18th Community Party of China (CPC) National Congress in 2012, the Party has gained a deeper understanding of China’s path to democracy and the appropriate political systems to apply, the Party has developed whole-process people’s democracy as a key concept and striven to translate this concept and relevant democratic values into effective institutions and concrete actions.
Mr. Li said that today the Chinese people are enjoying more democratic rights than ever before. China’s democracy is thriving alongside those of other countries in the garden of civilizations. China stands ready to contribute its strength and experience to global political progress through the means of cooperation and mutual learning. The Chinese people are willing to work together with the fraternal Sierra Leonean people and other friends around the world to bring to fruition the common values of all of humanity: peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom.
Mr. Konneh expressed his sincere gratitude to the Chinese government for its long-time support to Sierra Leone, and to the Electoral Commission in particular. He stated that these gifts will further bolster the Commission’s capacity to conduct a peaceful and fair election in the coming year.
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