(5 Apr 2018) Sierra Leone's election commission declared main opposition candidate Julius Maada Bio as the West African nation's new president Wednesday, giving the opposition party its first presidency in 10 years.
Chief Justice Abdulai Charm swore in the new leader along with Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh just hours after the announcement.
Bio pledged to govern for all Sierra Leoneans at the ceremony.
Bio won Saturday's runoff vote with 51.81 percent of valid votes cast, the National Electoral Commission said.
The former military leader running for the Sierra Leone Peoples Party beat ruling party candidate Samura Kamara, who received 48.19 percent of the votes.
More than 2.5 million people, or 81 percent of eligible registered voters, cast ballots in the runoff, said election commission's chairman, Mohamed N'Fah Alie Conteh.
Any registered voter has seven days to petition to the Supreme Court against the results.
This was Bio's second bid for the presidency.
He lost in 2012.
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