After the election here on Sunday all of the votes were tabulated and the Electoral Commission officially announced the results on Wednesday afternoon; no party received the necessary 50% plus one vote to secure a victory. Therefore a second round or a "runoff" election is necessary and has been scheduled for December 28th. In this second round the two top vote-getters in the Dec. 7th election, and only those two, will face off again, thus ensureing that with only two parties one will take greater than 50% of the voter turnout.
The reaction in the country has been very mixed. Some are estatic that democracy is working, while others are a bit more skeptical and believe that a second round will just lead to more money wasted on campaigning and more tension in the country. The headmistress does not like the idea of having to prepare the school again to be a polling station and the headache and uneasiness that comes with having military personel stationed at the school.
Whatever the outcome, it is fascinating to watch and see how people react and respond. Everywhere I go I try to ask people about the election and they all seem to have their own opinions and views. Some are very open about who they support while others are quite reserved. All, however, agree on the fact, and promise me, that, like round one, the round two runoff will be peaceful.
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