41.   He said election observers documented thousands of cases of double-voting, political coercion and other irregularities.

42.   In Freetown, election observers said the turnout was high, and the mood at several polling stations was festive.

43.   In the past, the Mexican government has viewed foreign election observers as a violation of national sovereignty.

44.   Independent election observers in both states cited widespread irregularities in the votes, including contradictory figures from state election officials.

45.   International election observers also say that election controls were least stringent in such areas.

46.   International election observers reported seeing stuffed ballot boxes, altered ballots and an intimidating presence of armed security forces and secret police at polling places.

47.   International election observers, however, say privately that they believe the government is manipulating them by agreeing to make changes that are more cosmetic than real.

48.   International teams of election observers reported only scattered organizational problems and incidents of intimidation.

49.   Last week, Lavalas supporters ransacked the headquarters of a minor political party and killed a person, according to diplomats and international election observers.