S Leone vote count 'peaceful'
2007-09-10 10:33
Freetown - Sierra Leone counted votes on Sunday from a tense presidential run-off, which went peacefully despite fears of violence, but both sides accused the other of fraud and intimidation, and observers reported ballot stuffing.
Saturday's presidential run-off vote, the culmination of polls seen as a key test of stability in the West African state after a 1991-2002 civil war, would pick a successor to President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, who was standing down after two terms.
Kabbah had backed Vice-President Solomon Berewa, but reports said early trends gave a slight edge to opposition All People's Congress (APC) leader Ernest Bai Koroma who won an August 11 poll and whose alliance would control the next parliament.
Ransford Wright of the Independent Radio Network, which linked 20 local stations whose reporters collected results posted outside polling stations, said: "We have five to 10% of the vote in from our local reporters. So far the APC is leading."
56% of ballots already counted
No official results were expected until at least Monday.
Nevertheless, APC claimed to have won 56% of ballots already counted, and supporters celebrated after Saturday's polls closed, dancing on street corners and chanting party anthems as they rode through the streets in trucks.
The first round exposed regional and ethnic rifts between the pro-APC north and west - including the coastal capital, Freetown - and the south and east, where Kabbah's hitherto ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) was strong.
Tensions spilled over into violence after Koroma ventured into traditional SLPP country to canvass votes, along with SLPP dissident Charles Margai, a southerner who came third in the August 11 vote and then threw his weight behind Koroma.
Violation of voting procedures
The National Election Watch (NEW), which represented 347 civil society groups and fielded 5 420 observers in more than 80% of polling stations, said Saturday's polls were more orderly than on August 11, but said there had been some fraud.
The group, the largest observer team monitoring the elections, said: "NEW is aware of some incidents around the country related to chaos in certain polling stations, ballot stuffing and violation of voting procedures."
Each candidate's camp accused the other of harassment.
SLPP national Chairperson Alhaji Jah said: "We have reports that 40 to 50 of our polling agents were harassed, intimidated and taken out of polling stations." The party said it would reject results in three northern districts as a result.
Jah said: "Ex-combatants for the APC have been very much participating actively and some of the police were not very impartial. Even so, piecemeal results are showing good signs that Solomon Berewa should be the next president."