Sierra Leone's Kabbah wins in landslide

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (CNN) -- Thousands of supporters of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah took to the streets Sunday in the afternoon heat of this West African nation to celebrate their candidate's overwhelming victory in last week's election.

In what was described as a festive atmosphere, music played and beer flowed after the National Electoral Commission announced final results from Tuesday's vote shortly after 3 p.m. (11 a.m. EDT).

Kabbah, the Sierra Leone People's Party candidate, won 70 percent of the vote; All People's Congress Party candidate Ernest Karoma was second with 22 percent.

In third place was Peace and Liberation Party candidate Johnny Paul Karoma -- no relation to Ernest Karoma -- with 3 percent of the vote. Former rebel and United Front Party candidate Paula Bangura garnered only 1.7 percent.

In Sierra Leone, a candidate must receive at least 55 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

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The 70-year-old Kabbah will begin his second and final five-year term Monday, after his swearing-in ceremony Sunday. He is credited with persuading the United Nations to become involved in Sierra Leone, creating conditions that led to the end of the civil war in 1999.

The bitter war between the government and rebels of the Revolutionary United Front left tens of thousands dead, and forced more than 2 million refugees to flee to neighboring countries.

The rebels boycotted the 1996 election and punished voters by cutting off their arms, hands, or legs.

After a decade of fighting that virtually wiped out the nation's economy, residents told CNN that what they want most from Kabbah now is jobs.

Sierra Leone is one of the world's poorest nations, with unemployment at 70 percent. Two-thirds of the population live on the equivalent of less than $1 a day. Sierra Leone's main export, diamonds, generated just $26 million in revenue last year.

The government cited logistical reasons for the delay in the final vote tally, which had been expected by Friday.

There were no allegations of fraud from the losing camps, although some observers said there were scattered cases of under-age and multiple voting. Still, election observers from Africa, Europe and the United States declared it a free and fair election.

-- CNN Correspondent Ben Wedeman in Freetown contributed to this report.