Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has made a televised appeal to lawmakers to approve a contested constitutional reform bill that would lower the threshold for winning the presidency from 55 percent to 50 percent plus one vote, ahead of the 2028 election. The bill would also introduce proportional representation in parliamentary elections and establish a 30-percent quota for women in political leadership roles. The proposed changes have triggered a political standoff, with the ruling party backing the reforms and the main opposition All People's Congress (APC) resisting them, arguing that the higher existing threshold encourages candidates to seek broader national support and lends greater legitimacy to the eventual winner.