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Sierra Leone Government

What is the capital of Sierra Leone?

Country Name Sierra Leone
Full Country Name Republic of Sierra Leone
Local - Long Republic of Sierra Leone
Local - Short Sierra Leone
Etymology- history of name the Portuguese explorer Pedro de SINTRA named the country "Serra Leoa" (Lion Mountains) for the impressive mountains he saw while sailing the West African coast in 1462
Government Type presidential republic
Capital Name Freetown
Capital - geographic coordinate 8 29 N, 13 14 W
Capital Time Difference UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence 27 April 1961 (from the UK)
National Holiday Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution several previous; latest in effect 1 October 1991; amended several times, last in 2013

Sierra Leone Capital City Map

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Sierra Leone Government and Politics

Who is the president of Sierra Leone?

Executive Branch: chief of state: President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018); Vice President Mohamed Juldeh JALLOH (since 4 April 2018) ; note - the president is both chief of state, head of government, and minister of defense

head of government: President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018); Vice President Mohamed Juldeh JALLOH (since 4 April 2018)

cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president, approved by Parliament; the cabinet is responsible to the president

elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 4 April 2018 (next to be in March 2023)

election results: Julius Maada BIO elected president in second round; percent of vote - Julius Maada BIO (SLPP) 51.8%, Samura KAMARA (APC) 48.2%
Citizenship Criteria: citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Sierra Leone

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Legal System: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch: description: unicameral Parliament (146 seats; 132 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 14 seats filled in separate elections by non-partisan members of Parliament called "paramount chiefs;" members serve 5-year terms)

elections: last held on 7 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023)

election results: percent of vote by party - n/a; seats by party - APC 68, SLPP 49, C4C 8, other 7; composition - men 131, women 15, percent of women 10.3%
Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Superior Court of Judicature (consists of the Supreme Court - at the apex - with the chief justice and 4 other judges, the Court of Appeal with the chief justice and 7 other judges, and the High Court of Justice with the chief justice and 9 other judges; note – the Judicature has jurisdiction in all civil, criminal, and constitutional matters

judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice and other judges of the Judicature appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (a 7-member independent body of judges, presidential appointees, and the Commission chairman) and subject to the approval of Parliament; all Judicature judges appointed until retirement at age 65

subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; District Appeals Court; local courts
Regions or States: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Political Parties and Leaders: All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]

Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Somano KAPEN]

numerous other parties
International Law Organization Participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS (since 28 March 2008)

chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263

FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic Representation from US: chief of mission: Ambassador John HOOVER (since 4 November 4 December 2014))

embassy: Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [232] (76) 99 1055 00

FAX: [232] (76) 515 355
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