DOI: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20260903.15 ISSN: 2640-2785

A Comparative Assessment of Voting Patterns, Political Trust, and Perceived Political Freedom Among the Mende and the Temne During APC and SLPP Administrations

Shekou Nuni
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Ethnicity and regional identity have long been integrated into political strategies employed by elites to mobilize electoral support in Sierra Leone. Although such strategies can facilitate political participation and collective mobilization, they may also deepen ethnic divisions and reinforce political ideologies based on ethnic cleavages. Against this backdrop, this study examined and compared the political behavior and perceptions of political freedom among members of the two major ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, the Mende and Temne, during the presidential administrations of the two dominant political parties, the All People's Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The study adopted a quantitative research approach using secondary data obtained from Afrobarometer survey rounds 5, 6, 8, and 9. Cross-tabulation analysis was employed to examine patterns of voting behavior, levels of trust in political institutions, and perceptions of political freedom across the two ethnic groups and political administrations. The findings revealed that ethnicity continues to influence citizens' political behavior in Sierra Leone. Evidence of ethnic affiliation was observed in respondents' voting patterns and in their levels of trust in the president and the ruling party under both APC and SLPP administrations. Despite these ethnic tendencies, the majority of respondents believed that citizens were free to join any political organization and vote for candidates of their choice, indicating political freedom within the democratic process. The study concludes that ethno-regional cleavages remain evident in the political behavior of Sierra Leoneans, even in the presence of perceived political freedoms. It recommends that policymakers, political parties, and civil society organizations strengthen civic education and promote issue-based politics to reduce ethnic polarisation and foster national cohesion in Sierra Leone's democratic governance.

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