Sierra Leone's opposition has taken control of the country's parliament but its candidate in the presidential elections still faces uncertain prospects in a second round of voting.
The All People's Congress (APC) of Ernest Koroma has won 59 of the 112 seats in Parliament, according to results posted by the National Electoral Commission on its website.
But Koroma drew only 44 percent of votes in the presidential race, forcing him into a run-off election against Vice-President Solomon Berewa, the candidate of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). Berewa received 38 percent of the votes. To win, a presidential candidate needed 55 percent.
A tally of results, posted by the electoral commission after results from all polling stations had come in, confirms that supporters of the third-placed presidential candidate, Charles Margai of the People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), have the potential to make a decisive impact on a second round of voting. They accounted for 14 percent of the vote.
However, the PMDC does not hold the balance of power in Parliament. The APC's 59 seats give the party a clear majority, with the SLPP holding 43 seats and the PMDC 10.
