Legal system reforms unavoidable, says Babalakin

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), has called for the “repositioning” of the legal profession.

Babalakin said if this is done, the judiciary would be able to “guide the development of the nation in a manner consistent with the due process of law”.

The lawyer spoke yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, while delivering the 10^th Justice J.M. Adesiyun Memorial Lecture.

Expressing sadness over the current state of the legal profession and proffering solutions to the problem, Babalakin said: “The role of the legal profession in Nigeria has caused me severe heart ache and I am hopeful that we can place this profession back on the right path. We cannot afford a blame game, which will lead us nowhere. We simply have to draw a line and start again. “The legal profession must be restructured from the start. The curriculum in the universities must place the capacity to think on the highest pedestal. The law school must become more practical than theoretical. The bar must become more efficient. The amount of time wasted at the bar makes the legal profession very unattractive to young men and women who have a lot of options. “

On the incessant adjournment of cases, Babalakin said: “Cases must go on the dates and time they are slated to go on. Courts must adjudicate on matters on the dates they are slated to go on. Courts must not sit at the convenience of counsel. Counsel must make himself available on the dates chosen by the courts. Counsel cannot agree to adjourn cases without substantial financial consequences. A pleasant fall out from this is that law firms must become larger. The time of lawyers will become more valuable.  It is not fair to the younger lawyers that they spend a whole day in the court and their matters are not heard because a couple of Senior Advocates had matters in court on the same day.”

On the criteria for the appointment of Senior Advocates, the lawyer said: “The criteria for appointing Senior Advocates in Nigeria must be reappraised. The current criteria has the tendency to congest the courts. Many cases are filed today not because of the seriousness of the issues between the parties, but because lawyers require a certain number of cases to qualify to apply for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”

Calling for improved remuneration for judges, Babalakin said: “There is need to immediately enhance the status of the Judiciary and reposition it to where it was before 1975. Remuneration of judges must be enhanced. The idea of a judge not having enough resources to live comfortably anywhere in the country is simply unacceptable. The appointment of judges must be on merit. I do not subscribe to the opinion that the need to comply with Federal Character in the appointment of judges is the reason for the weak appointments made to the bench. I have had the privilege of working in all parts of Nigeria. Every part of Nigeria has very exceptional men and women who are deserving of judicial appointments and can be appointed in their zones.”

The lecture was chaired by the Chief Judge of Kwara State, Justice S.D. Kawu. Former Appeal Court President Justice Ayo Salami (rtd.); Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker Dr. Ali Ahmad; former Attorney-General of the Federation Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN); and Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN) were in attendance.

Also present were Mr Lawal Rabana (SAN); Alhaji Aliyu Salman (SAN); and Chief Duro Adeyele (SAN), among others.

Nigerian Intelligentsia endangered species, says Babalakin

.....13 Best UNILAG students get N150, 000 each 

The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN), has described the Nigerian Intelligentsia as “an endangered species”. 

The lawyer, who spoke during the 49th Convocation Ceremony of UNILAG, also gave a N150, 000 gift to each of the 11 best graduating students from the Faculty of Law and two of their counterparts from the Distant Learning Institute.

Defining the intelligentsia as “The People in a society who are highly educated and often concern themselves with ideas and new development”, Babalakin said: “The Nigerian intelligentsia have largely lost out in the battle for Nigeria. Today I’m making a clarion call to you all that it is not sufficient to earn a living. It is not sufficient to be well paid. It is more important to participate in the development of your country. For having the courage to pursue a subsequent degree, you have already shown clearly that you intend to be part of the intelligentsia, but it shouldn’t end there. We hope we’ll see UNILAG graduates actively participating in all aspects of government and the civil society; and generally found in places where we are seeking to enhance our nation.

“An endangered species is the type of animal that will soon disappear from the world. We have to stop this. Not by running away; not by saying that governance is for those who cannot do better. Governance is for us all. Let us participate. Let us contribute, so that at the end of the day, we will create a great nation. I have no doubt in my mind that UNILAG is at the fore front of making this happen. Be determined. Be ready to turn every stumbling block into a stepping stone for the attainment of a greater height. It is important for you to be change agents in the society. The society can only develop if we have a united elite determined to protect the gains of the society. If you look round at all the societies that have sustained their growth, it has happened because of the selfless interest of the elite. The dictionary describes the elite as a body of people who are interested in developing the society with the knowledge they have. That is who I want you to be because fortune will fade away rapidly, generations of good people have passed on anonymously, but those who live for long are the ones who live in the minds of people and those who commit their efforts to changing the society. 

“To lawyers, you have been endowed with a special training. A training that allows you, if well-absorbed, to participate in every part of the society with unusual distinction. Don’t allow anybody to categorise you. Don’t let them tell you that because you are a lawyer, you can’t be an administrator, an infrastructure developer or an outstanding engineer. You have been trained to have an open mind to be able to absorb information, distill it and use it properly. 

“I want you to know that diligence is the mother of goodluck. As you go out there, do not be discouraged. Do not be intimidated. Do not allow those who will tell you that things are impossible to be in your circle of friends. You need those who believe that whatever the challenge is, there must be a way out. That is the sort of association you should keep. As tough as things are, apparently, a lot of successes are still emerging. They are emerging because they have defied the odds. If they had the attitude that things were tough and they were not able to push forward, things will get tougher. Do not be inundated by suggestions that you are handicapped because of a challenging background, inadequate finances and so many other issues that becloud our ability to aspire. Please remain focused and know that there is no limit to the capacity of an aspiring genius. You constitute a part of the elite of the society and I urge you to be guiding lights of the policies of the elite. No society thrives unless the elite jealously guard the values of the society, protect it and propagate it. You must challenge yourselves to leave every place better than you met it. I have taken that pledge. 

“It is good to have aptitude like you do but it is more important to have attitude, which will help us all to achieve this objective. Attitude is your determination to succeed. The preponderance of great people are those who have attitude, not necessarily aptitude. It becomes a double whammy, if you can combine both, but you should never feel handicapped because you don’t have aptitude if you have attitude. When Margaret Thatcher was in secondary school, her school report said she was ‘dull but determined’. When she went to the Bar, she was told to work under Lord Lawson, then Sir Lawson, who told her he wasn’t sure she was “coping”, and she said to him, “I will prove to you that I can cope”. Years later, she was prime minister and among those considering the elevation of Lord Lawson. She was so determined, resolute to make up for whatever deficiencies she had and she emerged as one of the greatest leaders. I want you to leave here today believing that you are destined to lead. The only place that is crowded is the lower walks of life. The higher you go, the easier it becomes, but you must be determined to get yourself out of the crowd. I look forward to hearing great things about you all.”

Economic Confidential : 17 States Insolvent

ASVI: 36 States Generate N931bn IGR Against N3.3trn from Federation Account … Lagos Generates More IGR than 30 States Combined …. Economic Viable States: Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Edo, Kwara, Enugu, Kano and Delta States … Poor IGR States: Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Kebbi and Katsina States.

The Economic Confidential has released its Annual States Viability Index ( ASVI) which shows that seventeen (17) States are insolvent as their Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) in 2017 were far below 10% of their receipts from the Federation Account Allocations (FAA) in the same year. 

The index carefully and painstakingly computed proved that without the monthly disbursement from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), many states remain unviable, and cannot survive without the federally collected revenue, mostly from the oil sector. 

The IGR are generated by states through Pay-As-You-Earn Tax (PAYE), Direct Assessment, Road Taxes and revenues from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA)s. 

The report by this economic intelligence magazine further indicates that the IGR of Lagos State of N333bn is higher than that of 30 States put together whose Internally Generated Revues are extremely low and poor compared to their allocations from the Federation Account. 

The states with impressive over 30% IGR apart from Lagos are Ogun, Rivers, Edo, Kwara, Enugu and Kano States who generated N607bn in total, while the remaining states merely generated a total of N327bn in 2017. 

Recently the magazine published the total allocations received by each state in Nigeria from the Federation Account Allocation (FAA) between January to December 2017. 

The latest report on IGR reveals that only Lagos and Ogun States generated more revenue than their allocations from the Federation Account by 165% and 107% respectively and no any other state has up to 100% of IGR to the federal largesse. 

The IGR of the 36 states of the federation totalled N931bn in 2017 as compared to N801.95 billion in 2016, an increase of N130 billion. 

While the report provides shocking discoveries the states with less than 10% IGR have jumped to 17 from 14 states in the previous year 2016. 

The poor states may not stay afloat outside the Federation Account Allocation due to socio-political crises including insurgency, militancy, armed-banditry and herdsmen attacks. Other states lack foresight in revenue generation drive coupled with arm-chair governance. 

The states that may not survive without the Federation Account due to poor internal revenue generation are Bauchi which realized a meagre N4.3bn compared to a total of N85bn it received from the Federation Account Allocation (FAA) in 2017 representing about 5%; Yobe with IGR of N3.59bn compared to FAA of N67bn representing 5.33%; Borno N4.9bn compared to FAA of N92bn representing 5.41%; Kebbi with IGR of N4.39bn compared to N76bn of FAA representing 5.77% and Katsina with IGR of N6bn compared to N103bn of FAA representing 5.8% within the period under review. 

Other poor internal revenue earners are Niger which generated N6.5bn compared to FAA of N87bn representing 7.43%; Jigawa N6.6bn compared to FAA of N85bn representing 7.75%; Imo N6.8bn compared to FAA of N85bn representing 8.1% and Akwa Ibom N15bn compared to FAA of N197bn representing 8.06%, Ekiti N4.9bn compared to FAA of N59bn representing 8.38%; Osun N6.4bn compared to FAA of N76bn representing 8.45 %, Adamawa N6.2bn compared to FAA of N72.9bn representing 8.49%, Taraba N5.7bn compared to FAA of N66bn representing 8.70% and Ebonyi N5.1bn compared to FAA of N57.8bn representing 8%. 

Meanwhile, Lagos State remained steadfast in its number one position in IGR with a total revenue generation of N333bn compared to FAA of N201bn which translate to 165% in the twelve months of 2017. 

It is followed by Ogun State which generated IGR of N74.83bn compared to FAA of N69bn representing 107%. 

Others with impressive IGR include Rivers with N89bn compared to FAA of N178bn representing 50%; Edo with IGR of N25bn compared to FAA of N75bn representing 33%. 

Kwara State however with a low receipt from the Federation Account has greatly improved in its IGR of N19bn compared to FAA of N61bn representing 32% while Enugu with IGR of N22bn compared to FAA of N69bn representing 32%. 

Kano generated N42bn compared to FAA of N143bn representing 30% while Delta State earned N51bn IGR against FAA of N175bn representing 29%. 

The Economic Confidential ASVI further showed that only three states in the entire Northern region have IGR above 20%. They are Kwara, Kano, and Kaduna States. Meanwhile ten states in the South recorded over 20% IGR in 2017. 

They are Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Edo, Enugu, Delta, Cross River, Anambra, Oyo and Abia States. 

The states with the poorest Internally Generated Revenue of less than 10% in the South are Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Osun, Ekiti, Akwa-Ibom and Imo States while in the North we have Gombe, Zamfara, Taraba, Adamawa, Jigawa, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe and Bauchi States 

Meanwhile, the IGR of the respective states can improve through aggressive diversification of the economy to productive sectors rather than relying on the monthly Federation Account revenues that largely come from the oil sector.  

Eleven cases of Ebola (hemorrhagic fever) in Congo including 1 death

Eleven new cases of hemorrhagic fever, including one death, have been reported since Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Minister of Health Dr. Oly Ilunga said yesterday(Thursday) in Kinshasa. 

Two of those cases are confirmed to be Ebola. Lab results are pending on the other nine cases which are suspected to be Ebola. 

Ebola virus disease, which most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates such as monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees, is caused by one of five Ebola viruses. 

On average, about 50% of people who become ill with Ebola die. 

The new outbreak was announced Tuesday. 

Sickness is occurring in the Bikoro health zone, 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) from Mbandaka, the capital of Equator province.  

The World Health Organization reported Thursday that 27 total cases of fever with hemorrhagic symptoms were recorded in the Bikoro region between April 4 and May 5, including 17 deaths. 

Of these total cases, two tested positive for Ebola virus disease, according to the WHO.

The risk to public health is assessed as high at the local level, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level, according to the WHO. 

The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

 The affected area in Bikoro is remote, with limited communication and poor transportation infrastructure, the WHO said. 

Bikoro has a population of about 163,000 spread over an area of approximately 1,075 square kilometers (415 square miles).

On Tuesday, Ilunga requested support to strengthen the response to this outbreak. The ministry and the WHO have developed a plan to respond to the outbreak over the next three months. 

The full extent of the outbreak is not known, according to the WHO, and the location poses significant logistical challenges. 

Three health care professionals are among the confirmed cases, Ilunga said: "As health professionals are the first actors in the government's response to Ebola, this situation is of concern to us and requires a response that is all the more immediate and energetic." 

Ebola is endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and this is the nation's ninth outbreak of Ebola virus disease since the discovery of the virus in the country in 1976.

 The last outbreak occurred there in 2017 in the northern Bas Uele province. 

That outbreak was quickly contained due to joint efforts by the government, the WHO and other partners.

West Africa experienced the largest recorded outbreak of Ebola over a two-year period beginning in March 2014; a total of 28,616 confirmed, probable and suspected cases were reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with 11,310 deaths, according to the WHO.

source:CNN

Israel bombs Iranian targets in Syria aftermath of attacks

Israel said it attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria on Thursday after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time.

It was the heaviest Israeli barrage in Syria since the start in 2011 of its civil war, in which Iranians, allied Shi'ite militias and Russian soldiers have deployed in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's Army Command said three people were killed and two injured. A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the strikes killed at least 23 military personnel, including Syrians and non-Syrians. 

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the Iranian rockets either fell short of their targets, military bases in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, or were intercepted.

Expectations of a regional flare-up, amid warnings from Israel it was determined to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, were stoked by U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

The Trump administration portrayed its position against that agreement as a response, in part, to Tehran's military interventions in the region - underpinning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tough line towards Iran.

The Golan attack was "just further demonstration that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted and another good reminder that the president made the right decision to get out of the Iran deal," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News.

Israel said 20 Iranian Grad and Fajr rockets were shot down by its Iron Dome air defense system or did not reach targets in the Golan, territory Israel captured from Syria in a 1967 war.

The Quds Force, an external arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, carried out the launch, Israel said.

Syrian state media said Israel launched dozens of missiles and hit a radar station, Syrian air defense positions and an ammunition dump, underscoring the risks of a wider escalation involving Iran and its regional allies. 

GARGANTUAN CORRUPTION IN JONATHAN's PDP LED ADMINISTRATION.

............. Osinbajo releases details

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s office has disclosed details of mind-boggling corruption during the Jonathan era.

The details were published last night in a reaction to the accusations by spin doctors of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who claimed Osinbajo made unsubstantiated allegations about grand corruption during the Jonathan era.

The statement by senior special assistant on media, Laolu Akande, said the Vice President did not at anytime accuse Jonathan in person, but only said the blatant corruption cases were committed during his presidency.

The full statement:

WE have read reports attributed to “a media office of former President Goodluck Jonathan”. It is clear from the foul language of the authors that the statement could not have come from the former President, but from the motley group of loud and rude characters whose brief seems to be to deny all and anything said against the former PDP government and to do so in the crassest possible language.

The alleged spokespersons of the former President say that facts long in the public domain, some even being used to prosecute several corruption cases are lies and that those of us in government restating these well known facts are liars.

They accuse Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, of lying against the former President or his government citing their involvement in the stealing of three billion dollars, while speaking recently at The Platform event on the 1st of May.

Just for clarity, I quote the Vice President “Grand corruption remains the most enduring threat to our economy. Three Billion US dollars was stolen in what was called the strategic alliance contacts in 2013, three Nigerians were responsible, today three billion dollars is one trillion Naira and our budget is 7trillion! ….”

Two issues emerge. First, no mention is made of the former President.

Second, the story is not only true, it has been in the public domain for almost three years and it is the subject of criminal investigation and trials both here and in the UK.

The spokespersons also say that the allegations of corruption against the PDP government are mere lies. For clarity, the facts are laid out as follows:

As the Vice President said, $3B was stolen in the so- called NNPC Strategic Alliance Contracts. The three persons involved are Jide Omokore, Kola Aluko and the former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison- Maduekwe. The companies of both Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko lifted Nigerian crude oil and kept the proceeds. The total sums converted is in excess of three billion dollars including royalties, taxes and fees unpaid for the asset from which the crude was taken. The case is the subject of a trial in Nigeria, and criminal investigation in the US and UK, and the assets of all three individuals have been forfeited in Nigeria, the US and the UK.

The criminal diversion and theft of sums in excess of $2.5 billion meant for purchase of arms to prosecute the war against Boko Haram: The first phase of the investigations revealed several sordid details, many of the assets of culprits have been seized from them and they are facing trial.

The release of the sum of $289m in cash on February 25, 2015: Documents including cash vouchers indicate that the the sum of $289,202,382 was taken from the Joint Venture (JV) Cash Call Account No. 000-0000-11658-366 of the NNPC/NAPIMS with JP Morgan Chase Bank, New York, USA.

N70 billion was released in parts from the national treasury between January 8 and February 25, 2015

In another illegal disbursement, 25th August 2014, N60B in cash in tranches of N40billion and N20billion: The sum was not tied to any project or procurement and was then shared between two security agencies under the supervision of the then NSA. Most of these sums ended up in the hands of senior PDP members some of whom have returned parts of the loot. Some are standing trial for these offenses. These facts are in the public domain.

There was yet another set of illegal fund withdrawals under one week between January 8and 16, 2015, where the sum of N1.5 billion was released in three tranches of N300m, N400m and N800m respectively. This money was released from the MEA Research Library Account

Another document showed that N10 billion was released to the Office of the National Security Adviser by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on September 15, 2014. The money was released in tranches of foreign exchange of $47 million, $5 million, 4 million Euros and 1.6 million Euros. A letter from the Office of the NSA in November 2014 further showed that the monies were released as ‘funds for special services’. This particular release of N10B was sourced in November 2014 from a N40 Billion CBN released funds meant for Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. Investigators showed that this money was released for the PDP Presidential Primaries.

Lamido Sanusi, then CBN Governor was sacked for speaking up about the over $20billion missing from oil proceeds.

These cases of grand corruption and open looting of public resources pauperized Nigeria and left us with little or no savings in the years when oil was selling at 100 to 114 dollars a barrel and we were producing 2.1 million barrels a day. When in 2015 oil prices went even as low as between 28 and 35 dollars a barrel and oil production fell to less than one million barrels a day we had no buffer, no savings, to tide us through.

The amount released from CBN in cash on a single day, ie the US$289M ( N88.1Bn) is enough to fund 244,000 N-Power graduates for a year, or pay for 1.2Billion school meals or complete half of Lagos -Ibadan or half of Abuja -Kaduna -Kano roads.

The Vice President also made the point that in 2014 with oil prices as high as 120 dollars per barrel, the total capital released for Power, Works, Housing, Defence, Transport, Agriculture and Defence were just N152Billion for the whole year.

By contrast, the Buhari administration committed N578Bn to the same Ministries in 2016 with oil prices as low as US$28 per barrel as part of the strategy to end the recession. The government was able to do more with less by stopping grand corruption and impunity.

Recently, the Minister Coordinating the economy in that administration has written a revealing book : Fighting Corruption is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines. Who knows, perhaps her stories too are all lies!

    

Lebanese vote in first general election in 9years

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Voters queued outside polling stations across Lebanon today (Sunday) for the chance to take part in its first general election in nine years - an event seen as important for economic stability but unlikely to upset the overall balance of power.

Cars and mopeds were decked out with the flags of the main parties, loudspeakers blared songs in support of candidates near their electoral strongholds and young people wore T-shirts bearing the faces of political leaders.

The election is being held under a new proportional system that has confused some voters and made the contest unpredictable in formerly safe seats, but still preserves the country’s sectarian power sharing system.

Whatever the result, another coalition government including most of the major parties, like that which has governed since 2016, is likely to be formed after the election, analysts have said.

Getting the new government in place quickly would reassure investors of Lebanon’s economic stability. It has one of the world’s highest debt-to-GDP ratios and the International Monetary Fund has warned its fiscal trajectory is unsustainable.

“We hope we will open a new era,” said Mahmoud Daouk, voting in Beirut.

But some other voters were sceptical the election signalled an improvement in Lebanon’s political climate.

“The situation is actually worse now, not better... we lost the chance to hold them accountable nine years ago,” said Fatima Kibbi, 33, a pharmacist.

Voting is scheduled to end at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT). Unofficial results are expected to start coming in overnight. Election law makes it illegal on Sunday to publish forecasts of how the parties will perform before polls close.

However, analysts are closely watching the performance of Sunni Muslim Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s Future Movement party and that of the Iran-backed, Shi’ite Hezbollah group and its allies.

Lebanon has periodically been an arena for the intense regional competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

However, in recent years, Riyadh has pulled back from its previous support for Hariri, backing that helped Future in 2009 when it was part of the ‘March 14’ coalition focused on making Hezbollah give up its massive arsenal.

That issue has been quietly shelved as the main parties have focused on getting the economy back on track and grappling with the Syrian refugee crisis.

Donors pledged $11 billion in soft loans for a capital investment programme last month, in return for fiscal and other reforms, and they hope to hold the first follow-up meeting with the new government in the coming weeks.

Debt ratings agencies had stressed the importance of Lebanon going ahead with the election after parliament had extended its term several times.

SECURITY PRESENCE

After the last election in 2009, the onset of Syria’s civil war, the arrival of over a million refugees and a series of militant attacks aggravated internal political rifts.

Rival blocs in parliament could not agree on a new president between 2014-16 and repeatedly decided to delay elections, partly because of disagreement over moving from a winner-takes-all to a proportional voting system.

The new rules are seen as unlikely to undermine the long-entrenched political elite, a group that includes local dynasties and former warlords.

Mustapha Muzawwaq, 65, was sitting with neighbours in a side street drinking coffee. “We want the situation to stay as it is... At least we know the current MPs,” he said.

In municipal elections two years ago, independent candidates did well against established political parties by drawing on public anger at poor government services, including a crisis in which mountains of garbage piled in the streets.

Parliament seats are divided evenly between Muslims and Christians, and further subdivided among their various sects. Lebanon’s president must always be Maronite Christian, the prime minister Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker Shi’ite.

Voters are registered not where they live, but in the district their ancestors came from, meaning large numbers of voters have to travel from the capital Beirut to villages across the country.

“Voting should be made as easy as possible,” said Raja Riachi, the founder of a gaming start-up, who drove for an hour from his home in Beirut to vote in the village of Khenchara in the mountainous Metn district.

Despite some acts of violence and intimidation connected to the election in recent weeks, no major incidents were reported in the immediate run-up to voting or during the first hours after polls opened.

However, there was a security presence in Beirut on Sunday and a Reuters witness saw a long military column of armoured vehicles and other troop carriers driving slowly into the capital. Security forces stood sentry on street corners and near the polling booths.

Observers from the European Union and other international bodies are monitoring the poll.

Abu Sami, 40, a civil servant, said he was tired of the established politicians. “Today I will choose new faces,” he said.

Reporting by Angus McDowall and Dahlia Nehme; Editing by Nick Macfie and Elaine Hardcastle