The executive director of the Freetown based Institute for Government Reform (IGR) talks about the issues at stake in the upcoming general elections in Sierra Leone when voters will elect their next president. The West African nation, one of the poorest in the world, has been severely hit by inflation, making economy a top issue for voters. Andrew Lavali also laments the current political discourse. "In the absence of party manifestos, politics is more ethno-regionally driven. So, you see too often political conversation, taking the form of ethno-regional accusation, especially in this day and age of social media," he says. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES