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Six heads of states confirmed to attend Sierra Leone President's inauguration ceremonyFREETOWN, Feb 21, 2013 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Six African heads of states have been confirmed to attend the inauguration ceremony of Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma, the chief director of Communication in Presidency Unisa Sesay told Xinhua on Thursday. The heads include Benin President and chairman of the African Union (AU) Thomas Boni Yayi, President of Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, Senegalese President Macky Sall and Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. Unisa Sesay said more heads of states are expected to come, but not yet are confirmed. Jiang Weixin, Special envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao and the minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development arrived in Freetown Thursday and will be present at the upcoming inauguration ceremony. Ernest Bai Koroma will be sworn in for his second term on Friday at the national stadium in Freetown. According to the office of the President, the Presidential Task Force on the inauguration has been coordinating all aspects of the preparations. Sierra Leone's government has declared Friday a public national holiday to enable the people to participate fully and enthusiastically in the celebrations. Sierra Leone's National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced on Nov. 23, 2012 that Ernest Bai Koroma has been re-elected as Sierra Leone's President for a second term with 58.7 percent of favorable vote. President Koroma's campaign is based on the theme of "Transformation for National Prosperity," which promises to revamp the country's mining sector to enhance the economic and social wellbeing of the people. The general election last year was the first free vote that Sierra Leone organized itself. The previous two elections were organized by the UN. |