By Katrina Manson FREETOWN - Sierra Leone deserves high marks for holding credible elections but needs further international assistance to help rebuild its war-scarred economy and society, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday. The elections, which swept opposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma into the presidency, were billed as a test of stability five years after the end of a 1991-2002 civil war notable for its brutality. "There were many attempts at disrupting the elections, many manifestations of intolerance, but they never went beyond a very small group of people," U.N. mission head Victor Angelo said. "The population of Sierra Leone has learnt the lesson and does not want to go back to the very dramatic years they lived in the 1990s. This country has become a very mature country in political terms," he told Reuters in an interview. Despite localised violence, ballot box stuffing and the cancellation of results from hundreds of polling stations, Angelo said the West African country's peaceful transfer of power could be a model for other countries in the region. But two years after the departure of what was once the U.N.'s biggest peacekeeping force, Sierra Leone is at a crucial stage and international assistance is vital, Angelo said. Donors fund about a third of the national budget and paid for about 70 percent of election costs. "They need external assistance. Be it in the security sector, economic development area or in terms of democracy, it would be a mistake to think that they can do it without a very strong partnership with the international community. This is no time to say 'We have done it'. This is a beginning," he said. "A VOTE FOR A BETTER LIFE" The 300-strong, $25 million-a-year U.N. mission provides assistance to the military and police services, and supports human rights, peace and governance. Its mandate expires at the end of the year, but Angelo said it should be renewed. "The security situation is good, but this is no time to relax," he said in Freetown's Mammy Yoko Hotel, which was once attacked by rebels and became the hub of the U.N. peace mission. "I sincerely believe that we should extend. It would be a mistake to consider that the elections are a final benchmark. We need to look at 2008 as still a year of consolidation of democracy, the security sector and launching the foundations for economic and social development." Former insurance executive Koroma campaigned on a pledge to combat widespread corruption and deliver social services to Sierra Leone's 5.7 million people, 70 percent of whom live below the poverty line. Expectations are high. "I think this vote in Sierra Leone is a vote for democracy and a vote for a better life," Angelo said. "They have to achieve results. People understand that these things don't change overnight but they want to start seeing some moves in the right direction. One has to have a sense of urgency." Koroma has promised a government of national unity after voting patterns showed a regional split between the northwest and southeast and violence flared during campaigning. "This country needs every professional, every committed person, to transform itself," said Angelo. "This country has an insufficient number of leaders, of transformers. That's why I like this idea of a government of national unity."
