Abass Chernor Bundu | |
---|---|
Speaker of the House of Parliament of Sierra Leone | |
Assumed office 25 April 2018 [1] | |
President | Julius Maada Bio |
Preceded by | Sheku Badara Bashiru Dumbuya |
Northern Regional Chairman of the Sierra Leone People's Party | |
Assumed office 2013 | |
Leader of the Progressive People's Party (PPP) | |
In office 1996–1996 | |
Sierra Leone Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 1994–1995 | |
Preceded by | Karefa Kargbo |
Succeeded by | Alusine Fofanah |
Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States | |
In office 1989–1993 | |
Preceded by | Momodu Munu |
Succeeded by | Edouard Benjamin |
Personal details | |
Born | Abass Chernoh Bundu 3 June 1948 [1] Gbinti,British Sierra Leone |
Political party | Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) |
Residence(s) | Freetown,Sierra Leone, |
Alma mater | Australian National University,University of Cambridge |
Profession | Economist,attorney |
Abass Chernor Bundu (born 1948 in Gbinti,Port Loko District) is a Sierra Leonean politician,diplomat,and the current Speaker of the Sierra Leone House of Parliament,in office since April 25,2018. [2] [3] [4] Bundu was elected speaker by receiving 70 votes in Parliament. The main opposition the All People's Congress,which won the most seats in Parliament,boycotted the election process in protest and did not nominate a candidate for speaker. [5] [6] [7] Bundu is a veteran politician,and a very close ally and personal friend of Sierra Leone's president Julius Maada Bio.
Before being elected speaker,Bundu was the northern regional chairman of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). He is one of the most senior and one of the most influential members of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party [8]
Bundu is the older brother of Ibrahim Bundu,a member of Parliament of the main opposition All People's Congress. [9]
From 1989 to 1993,Bundu was the executive secretary of the Economic Community of West African States. Bundu was the head of several ministries in Sierra Leone,including Foreign Affairs and Agriculture. He was the presidential candidate of the now defunct Progressive People's Party (PPP) in the 1996 Sierra Leone presidential election,where he was defeated in the first round of voting after winning 2.9% of the votes. [4]
Bundu holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Australian National University and both a Master of Laws and a PhD in International Law from the University of Cambridge in England.
Abass Chernor Bundu was born in the rural town of Gbinti,Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone,then under British control. Bundu was born into a prominent Bundu family who are of Fula and Temne descent. Abass Bundu grew up in a deeply religious Muslim household and he is a devout Muslim.
Bundu attended the St. Andrews Secondary School in Bo,the Methodist Boys' High School in Freetown and the St. Edward's Secondary School also in Freetown. While in secondary school,Bundu was a very brilliant student and he was highly admired by his fellow students and teachers.
Immediately after secondary school,Bundu left Sierra Leone as a youth and moved abroad to further his education. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Australian National University and both a Master of Laws and a PhD in International Law from the University of Cambridge,England. [10] He is also a Barrister-at-Law.
Bundu's numerous positions include Assistant Director of International Affairs and Consultant in Constitutional Law in the Commonwealth Secretariat in London from 1975 to 1982;Executive Secretary of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 1989 to 1993,the posts of Foreign Minister (1994–1995),Minister of Agriculture 1982–85;and presidential candidate in the 1996 presidential election in Sierra Leone. Bundu failed to garner much support in the election,gaining just under 30,000 votes or 2.9% of the national vote. He is an expert on West African affairs and a renowned expert on constitutional and international law. Bundu has written a critical analysis of the Civil War in Sierra Leone,Democracy by Force? [11]
In 1991,Dr. Bundu strongly criticised President Joseph Saidu Momoh's government because of clauses their party wished to add to Sierra Leone's constitution. He was then forced to leave the All People's Congress (APC). [12]
Dr. Bundu contested the 1996 elections as not democratically free and fair. [12]
In 1996,Bundu formed his own political party and ran for president in Sierra Leone. His bid was unsuccessful. [12]
In 1996 Bundu was prosecuted for alleged illegal sale of Sierra Leone passports under the immigration investment programme. In October 2005 Government of Sierra Leone dropped the prosecution and publicly exonerated Bundu [13] of any wrongdoing based on new evidence which,had it been available in 1996,would not have given rise to any prosecution.
The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone,along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. The SLPP dominated Sierra Leone's politics from its foundation in 1951 to 1967,when it lost the 1967 parliamentary election to the APC,led by Siaka Stevens. Originally a centre-right,conservative party,it identifies since 2012 as a centre-left social democratic party,with a centrist tendency.
Bo District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. It is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Bo District is the second most populous district in Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the city of Bo,which is also the second most populous city in Sierra Leone. Other major towns in the district include Baoma,Bumpeh,Serabu,Sumbuya,Baiima and Yele.
Moyamba District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone,with a population of 318,064 in the 2015 census. Its capital and largest city is Moyamba. The other major towns include Njala,Rotifunk and Shenge. The district is the largest in the Southern Province by geographical area,occupying a total area of 6,902 km2 (2,665 sq mi) and comprises fourteen chiefdoms.
Bombali is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Makeni,which is also the largest city in the north. The Bombali district is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Bombali is one of the largest districts in Sierra Leone by geographical area,after Koinadugu District,and is the second most populous district in the Northern part of Sierra Leone,after Port Loko district. In the 2015 Sierra Leone national census,the population of Bombali District was 606,183. Other major towns in Bombali District include Kamabai,Karina and Binkolo.
Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 149 members,of which 135 members are directly elected from across Sierra Leone's 16 districts,while 14 are paramount chiefs appointed from the 14 rural districts. The parliament is led by the Speaker of the House;the position is currently held by Abass Bundu of the Sierra Leone People's Party. The current elected 135 ordinary members of parliament are composed of members of the All People's Congress and the Sierra Leone People's Party which are the two largest political parties in Sierra Leone.
Solomon Ekuma Dominic Berewa was Vice-president of Sierra Leone from May 2002 to September 2007. Standing as the candidate of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP),he was defeated in the second round of the 2007 presidential election by Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC).
Ernest Bai Koroma is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.
Port Loko District is a district in the North West Province of Sierra Leone. It is the most populous district in the North and the second most populous district in Sierra Leone,after Western Area Urban District. As of the 2015 census,Port Loko District has a population of 614,063. The district capital is the town of Port Loko and its largest city is Lunsar. The other major towns in the district include Masiaka,Rokupr,Pepel,Lungi and Gbinti.
Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the town of Kailahun. The second most populous city in the district is Segbwema. Other major towns in Kailahun District include Koindu,Pendembu and Daru. As of the 2015 census,the district had a population of 525,372. Kailahun District is subdivided into fourteen chiefdoms.
Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kenema,which is the third most populous city in Sierra Leone,after Freetown and Bo. Tongo is the second most populous city in the district. Other major towns in Kenema District include Blama and Yomboma. The district is the most populous district in the Eastern province with a population 609,873. Kenema District has an area of 6,053 km2 (2,337 sq mi) and comprises sixteen chiefdoms.
The Western Area Rural District is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. It is located mostly around the peninsula in the Western Area of Sierra Leone. The Western Area Rural District has a 2015 census population of 442,951. The district capital and largest city is Waterloo. Other major towns in the district include Newton,Benguema,Leicester,Tombo and Regent. Most of the towns and villages in the Western Area Rural District are close to the capital Freetown and are part of the Freetown Metropolitan Area.
General elections were held in Sierra Leone on 11 August 2007. Seven candidates competed in the first round of the presidential election;no candidate received the necessary 55% of the vote to win in the first round,and a second round was held between the top two candidates,Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) and Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP),on 8 September. According to official results,Koroma won the election with 54.6% of the vote.
Haja Afsatu Olayinka Ebishola Savage Kabba is a Sierra Leonean Oku politician and former Sierra Leone minister of Energy and Power. She served as a member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from the Western Area Urban District from 2002 to 2007.
Gbinti is a rural town in Dibia chiefdom,Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The town is the chieftaincy seat of Dibia chiefdom. Gbinti lies about 20 miles from the district capital Port Loko and approximately 52 miles east of Freetown.
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