ABSTRACT
In 1951, Britain granted a constitution to the country that allowed for free elections. On April 27, 1961, Sierra Leone won its independence from Britain, with Milton Margai of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) as its first prime minister and with the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) holding the majority of seats in the legislature. Following several attempted coups and mutinies, a republic was declared in 1971, with APC head Siaka Stevens as president. A declining economy in the 1970s led to political unrest and a new constitution in 1978
declaring the country a one-party state of the APC. Upon completion of his term in 1985, Stevens was replaced as president by the head of the armed forces, Joseph Saidu Momoh.
