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Sierra Leone to Vote Amid Discontent Over Ebola, Iron Ore

  • Election on Wednesday marks departure from two-party system
  • Ebola, iron-ore slump, corruption plagued outgoing government
A supporter of Sierra Leone's All People's Congress presidential candidate Samura Kamara cheers during a campaign rally on March 5.

A supporter of Sierra Leone's All People's Congress presidential candidate Samura Kamara cheers during a campaign rally on March 5.

Photographer: Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images

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Sierra Leone will hold elections on Wednesday in which an unprecedented number of political parties will compete as discontent over the government’s handling of an economy battered by the Ebola outbreak has soared.

The vote marks a departure from a decades-old tradition that mainly divided the balance of power between the All People’s Congress and the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party, with a newcomer, the National Grand Coalition, expected to win a significant amount of votes. In total, 16 parties have put candidates forward in the West African nation of about 6.5 million people.