Sierra Leone results assure run-off

FREETOWN – With only about 233 000 votes left to count in Sierra Leone’s presidential election, a run-off between the leading opposition and ruling party candidates appeared assured on Tuesday.

The war-battered West African country released results from about 97 per cent of its more than 6 000 polling stations late on Tuesday, which showed that no candidate had come close to the 55 per cent needed to avoid a run-off round. Opposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma was ahead with 44 per cent, compared with 38 per cent for Vice President Solomon Berewa, of the ruling party.Many saw the August 11 election – the first since UN peacekeepers withdrew two years ago – as a chance for the diamond-rich nation to show it has established civilian rule following a 10-year war that was declared over in 2002.The unexpected strength of the opposition in a vote that was expected to fall strongly to ruling party has suggested a frustration on the part of Sierra Leoneans with the pace and manner of reconstruction.Unemployed youth made up a strongly discontented bloc.Turnout was high – about 76 per cent, according to election commission spokeswoman Christiana Thorpe.The 173 polling stations still to be counted represent 95 000 votes at most, based on election commission figures on registered voters per station.Even if Koroma were to win all those votes, he would not have enough to win outright.The second-round vote should take place in early September.The results came shortly after the candidate running third in the race – lawyer and former minister Charles Francis Margai – threw his support to Koroma.Margai broke off from the ruling coalition 15 months ago to form his own party.Margai’s support could be key, because many observers saw his candidacy as pulling votes from the ruling party.He had garnered 14 per cent of the votes released on Monday.Seven candidates had vied to succeed President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, who is prevented by term limits from running for a third five-year term.Berewa was considering the front-runner going into the vote, but Koroma has been leading since the first results started coming in.By law, the election commission has 12 days from the balloting to compile results.About 2,6 million of Sierra Leone’s 5 million people were registered to vote in the election.Nampa-APOpposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma was ahead with 44 per cent, compared with 38 per cent for Vice President Solomon Berewa, of the ruling party.Many saw the August 11 election – the first since UN peacekeepers withdrew two years ago – as a chance for the diamond-rich nation to show it has established civilian rule following a 10-year war that was declared over in 2002.The unexpected strength of the opposition in a vote that was expected to fall strongly to ruling party has suggested a frustration on the part of Sierra Leoneans with the pace and manner of reconstruction.Unemployed youth made up a strongly discontented bloc.Turnout was high – about 76 per cent, according to election commission spokeswoman Christiana Thorpe.The 173 polling stations still to be counted represent 95 000 votes at most, based on election commission figures on registered voters per station.Even if Koroma were to win all those votes, he would not have enough to win outright.The second-round vote should take place in early September.The results came shortly after the candidate running third in the race – lawyer and former minister Charles Francis Margai – threw his support to Koroma.Margai broke off from the ruling coalition 15 months ago to form his own party.Margai’s support could be key, because many observers saw his candidacy as pulling votes from the ruling party.He had garnered 14 per cent of the votes released on Monday.Seven candidates had vied to succeed President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, who is prevented by term limits from running for a third five-year term.Berewa was considering the front-runner going into the vote, but Koroma has been leading since the first results started coming in.By law, the election commission has 12 days from the balloting to compile results.About 2,6 million of Sierra Leone’s 5 million people were registered to vote in the election.Nampa-AP