By Melvin Tejan Mansaray
Ahead of the First Sitting of the Sixth Parliament of Sierra Leone which is slated for Thursday 13th July, 2023, Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis has disclosed that an internal party decision has resolved that there will be a vacancy in the Speaker’s position only after two years.
The tenure of the Speaker of Parliament spans for a period of five years and to be qualified for nomination, a lawmaker must have served one term and be reelected for a second term or must have served two terms.
Hon Tunis’ revelation has laid to rest speculations on what has been described as a close race to replace the incumbent Speaker, Hon. Dr. Abass Bundu.
Hon. Tunis who first entered Parliament in the year 2002 has been widely touted as the top contender for the position having acquired enormous experience in parliamentary practice and procedure and also in  diplomacy and international relations, being the current Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Speaking in an interview during the 2023 Parliamentary Induction and Orientation Programme held on Wednesday 12th July,2023 in Freetown, Hon. Tunis said: “I had the ambition to be House Speaker yes, but the party has asked us to take a certain direction to go. Last night we met as a party and decided to give the current Speaker two more years, so my ambition will be revived after two years.”
