Results are not yet known, but from the local point of view, we had braced for considerable violence and chaos and thank God we got nowhere near as much as we had feared. That is good.
On the other hand, turnout appears to have been lower than expected. Again, final results will tell. The WaPo has reporting and photos. David Wood, whom I have referenced before as as a straight shooter and solid reporter, has more, and he strikes a chord. (In a very strange coincidence, Mr Wood was standing at the bottom of the stairs as I climbed down from the C-130 a couple days ago; I hadn’t seen him in years.)
My take– We’ll have to wait, of course, for the results and the numbers, but the fact remains that the election has come and gone. Imperfect? Probably. Violent? In some places but not so in many others. But, it’s good enough for this round. The fact that there was an election is a big step forward, and hopefully it will begin to set a basic expectation of regular self-governance. This unfortunate land could use a hefty dose of that.
(And yes, I can see the blimp.)
