More on the elections

From the BBC
Sierra Leone opposition wins poll

The main opposition party, All Peoples' Congress (APC), has won parliamentary elections in Sierra Leone.
APC won 59 of the 112 parliamentary seats, defeating the governing Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), with 43.

A run-off in the presidential election between the two parties' candidates is scheduled for next month.

Victory for the APC sees a return to power of the party which governed Sierra Leone for two decades before the civil war.

The governing SLPP is credited with helping to end the civil war, but is blamed for widespread corruption and economic mismanagement.

Observers' praise

The presidential election will see a run-off between the APC candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma, who took 44% of the vote in the first round, and the SLPP candidate and outgoing Vice President, Solomon Berewa, who polled 38%.

Charles Margai, who broke off from the SLPP, was third with 14%, and his votes could play a deciding role in the run-off. President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is stepping down after serving two terms.

BBC West Africa correspondent Will Ross says the elections were praised by international observers, and many Sierra Leoneans have a sense of pride at this exercise in democracy.