Ernest Bai Koroma

Ernest Bai Koroma
Koroma in 2015
4th President of Sierra Leone
In office
17 September 2007 – 4 April 2018
Vice PresidentSamuel Sam-Sumana (2007–2015)
Victor Bockarie Foh (2015–2018)
Preceded byAhmad Tejan Kabbah
Succeeded byJulius Maada Bio
Leader of the All People's Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 March 2002
Secretary-GeneralOsman Foday Yansaneh
Preceded byEdward Turay
Minority Leader of Parliament
In office
2005–2007
Preceded byEdward Turay
Succeeded byEmmanuel Tommy
Personal details
Born (1953-10-02) 2 October 1953 (age 71)
Makeni, British Sierra Leone
Political partyAll People's Congress
Spouse
  • ​
    (m. 1986)​
ChildrenAlice
Dankay Yunis
Alma materFourah Bay College
ReligionChristianity (Wesleyan)
WebsiteGovernment website

Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.

Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent more than 24 years working in the private insurance industry before entering politics in 2002. From 1988 to 2002, he was the managing director of the Reliance Insurance Trust Corporation (Ritcorp).

Koroma earned a bachelor's degree from Fourah Bay College in 1976; and is an insurance agent by profession.

Koroma was elected as leader of the All People's Congress (APC), Sierra Leone's main opposition party, on 24 March 2002,[1] after defeating then-incumbent APC leader Edward Turay. Koroma stood as the APC candidate in the 2002 presidential election but was defeated in a free and fair election by incumbent President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, who won 70.3% of the vote, to Koroma's 22.35%.[2] Koroma conceded defeat.

Koroma was later elected to Parliament, representing his home District of Bombali from 2002 to 2007. In 2005, he was elected the minority leader of Parliament and remained in that position until his election to the presidency in 2007.

In the 2007 presidential election run-off, Koroma received 54.6% of the vote and defeated incumbent Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the ruling SLPP.[3] Berewa conceded defeat, and Koroma was sworn in as President on 17 September 2007, at the State House in the capital Freetown. International and local observers declared the election free and fair.[4][5] Koroma succeeded President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, who was constitutionally ineligible to run for the presidency again after serving the maximum two five-year term limit.

In the November 2012 presidential election, Koroma was re-elected as President for a second term, receiving 58.7%, against his main opponent, SLPP candidate Julius Maada Bio, who received 37.4%.[6][7][8][9] International observers deemed the election to be free and fair.[7][10] Koroma was succeeded by Julius Maada Bio following his victory in run-off elections held on 31 March 2018.[11]

In December 2023, Koroma was placed under house arrest after two days of interrogation following an attempted coup d'état on 26 November 2023 during demonstrations.[12] He was charged with four counts of treason in relation to the coup on 3 January 2024.[13]

  1. ^ "The President" Archived 10 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine, State House, Sierra Leone government.
  2. ^ "Victory of Sierra Leone President Was by Landslide Margin – 19 May 2002" Archived 11 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Voice of America, 26 October 2009.
  3. ^ Bampia James Bundu, "Solomon Berewa Concedes Defeat to Ernest Bai Koroma in Sierra Leone" Archived 9 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Awareness Times, 17 September 2007.
  4. ^ "S Leone elections 'free and fair'". 13 August 2007. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Sierra Leone Human Rights" Archived 9 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Amnesty International.
  6. ^ "National Electoral Commission (NEC) Sierra Leone". Nec-sierraleone.org. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Sierra Leone: Ernest Bai Koroma wins presidential poll" Archived 11 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News – Africa, 23 November 2012,
  8. ^ "Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma Reelected" Archived 19 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, RTT News, 23 November 2012.
  9. ^ "Ernest Bai Koroma re-elected as Sierra Leone's President" Archived 19 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, English.news.cn, 24 November 2012.
  10. ^ Simon Akam, "Sierra Leone's Koroma promises growth in new term", Reuters, 23 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Election Results - National Electoral Commission" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  12. ^ "POLITIQUE SIERRA LEONE En Sierra Leone, Ernest Bay Koroma assigné à résidence". Jeune Afrique. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  13. ^ Fofana, Umaru (3 January 2024). "Ernest Bai Koroma: Sierra Leone ex-president charged with treason over attempted coup". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.