G Bissau counts votes
2005-06-21 15:59
Bissau - Ballots were gathered for counting by helicopter and traditional sea canoe on Monday in an election citizens hope will usher Guinea-Bissau's powerful military out of politics.
As elsewhere on a continent emerging from wars and coups, the coming of democracy did not mean a complete break with the past. Sunday's ballot in the first presidential race since a bloodless 2003 military coup looked like an index to recent political history, with three former heads of state —including a former military strongman — among the 13 candidates.
Final results were expected within nine days. The victor must take a majority of votes to forestall a run-off and win the five-year term.
Workers in the capital, Bissau, toiled late after polling booths closed on Sunday, tallying votes by candlelight after an all-too common power outage. Officials in far-flung rural areas were sending ballots by truck and even garishly painted wooden fishing canoes to regional depots, from where they were to be flown to Bissau by helicopter, said Vera Cabral Montiero, a top electoral official.
Peaceful elections thus far
No major violence was reported on Sunday in a country with a history of internal conflict, including a 1998-99 civil war among rival army factions. Soldiers cast ballots alongside citizens, but didn't carry their battered AK-47 automatic rifles in the streets.
European Union (EU) observers said in a preliminary report on Monday the military had kept its promise not to intervene in the vote and "supported the unfolding of the electoral process".
The observers said they would withhold final judgment until a victor is named and said there were some allegations of vote-buying in far-flung areas. But they said Sunday's vote was "administered in a transparent and inclusive manner and met essential principles for democratic elections".
Decades of instability have left Guinea-Bissau among the world's 10 least-developed countries, according the UN. Eighty percent of the 1.4 million people live on less than $2 per day and nearly two-thirds of them are illiterate.
Hoping for a better future
Citizens in Guinea-Bissau said they hoped the military had learned that seizing power by force scares away foreign investors and keeps the country mired in poverty.
"I hope the kids will have a new mentality in a different country, a modern country, better than this one," said Sandra August Te, a 22-year-old kindergarten teacher. "Democracy is power of the people and that's crucial for our future."
Former President Kumba Yala, ousted by the military in 2003, was on the ballot on Sunday.
Arthur Sanha, secretary-general of Yala's party, said the ousted leader would accept the results — if they're fair.
"We've always said that if the election is ruled free fair and transparent, that's acceptable," Sanha said. "We've seen a few problems, a few irregularities (but) we can't speak of fraud at the moment."
- AP