Sierra Leone awaits results poll

FREETOWN -The president of Sierra Leone called yesterday for citizens to wait calmly for results of the country’s weekend election – admonishing supporters of rival candidates for using unofficial results to publicly taunt opponents.

In a nationwide radio broadcast, President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah said he had instructed police to ‘deal firmly with any threats to the peace and stability of the nation’. The vote – Sierra Leone’s first presidential ballot since UN peacekeepers withdrew two years ago – is seen by many as a chance to show that the West African nation has finally emerged from a legacy of coups and a decade-long, diamond-fuelled war as a multiparty state that can transfer power peacefully.International observers commended Saturday’s ballot-casting as well-organised and open.But as tallying took longer than expected on Monday, supporters of the two rival candidates started to use fluctuating unofficial results broadcast by local radio stations as a reasons to declare victory in the streets.Kabbah urged Sierra Leoneans to ‘desist from making any provocative or inflammatory statements against one another’.Meanwhile, electoral commission spokeswoman Christiana Thorpe said the group had received results from five polling stations, but did not release any figures.She had previously said some results would be available late Monday.Seven candidates are vying to succeed Kabbah.Term limits prevent the 75-year-old leader from running for a third, five-year term.Thorpe said Saturday’s vote finished on time and without incident at most polling centres, despite rain and long lines.There were some disturbances.Late Saturday, police used tear gas to disperse crowds of youths setting up makeshift roadblocks the east of the capital city of Freetown.It was unclear what sparked the incident or if it was related to the polling.Thorpe also noted ‘a small number of violent incidents’ in western Freetown, and said polling was delayed in one southern town because of lost ballot boxes.International observers said the vote appeared to go relatively smoothly and fairly.The people of Sierra Leone were given the opportunity to “express their will freely and in accordance with internationally accepted standards,” said a statement by observers from British Commonwealth countries.Observers representing the West African regional economic bloc commended Sierra Leoneans’ enthusiasm, noting ‘a very high turnout across the country with people queuing from as early as 04h00 am’.The group concluded in its statement that ‘the vast majority of voters had ample opportunity to exercise their franchise in a transparent, tranquil and orderly manner’.Nampa-APThe vote – Sierra Leone’s first presidential ballot since UN peacekeepers withdrew two years ago – is seen by many as a chance to show that the West African nation has finally emerged from a legacy of coups and a decade-long, diamond-fuelled war as a multiparty state that can transfer power peacefully.International observers commended Saturday’s ballot-casting as well-organised and open.But as tallying took longer than expected on Monday, supporters of the two rival candidates started to use fluctuating unofficial results broadcast by local radio stations as a reasons to declare victory in the streets.Kabbah urged Sierra Leoneans to ‘desist from making any provocative or inflammatory statements against one another’.Meanwhile, electoral commission spokeswoman Christiana Thorpe said the group had received results from five polling stations, but did not release any figures.She had previously said some results would be available late Monday.Seven candidates are vying to succeed Kabbah.Term limits prevent the 75-year-old leader from running for a third, five-year term.Thorpe said Saturday’s vote finished on time and without incident at most polling centres, despite rain and long lines.There were some disturbances.Late Saturday, police used tear gas to disperse crowds of youths setting up makeshift roadblocks the east of the capital city of Freetown.It was unclear what sparked the incident or if it was related to the polling.Thorpe also noted ‘a small number of violent incidents’ in western Freetown, and said polling was delayed in one southern town because of lost ballot boxes.International observers said the vote appeared to go relatively smoothly and fairly.The people of Sierra Leone were given the opportunity to “express their will freely and in accordance with internationally accepted standards,” said a statement by observers from British Commonwealth countries.Observers representing the West African regional economic bloc commended Sierra Leoneans’ enthusiasm, noting ‘a very high turnout across the country with people queuing from as early as 04h00 am’.The group concluded in its statement that ‘the vast majority of voters had ample opportunity to exercise their franchise in a transparent, tranquil and orderly manner’.Nampa-AP