Today proved to be a historical day in this country; after 3 years of functioning without a President, a new one was finally elected. As I drove through the city this morning, I could see the excitement building as Parliament was attempting the vote. I have never seen so many policemen per square foot before. It was actually a little nerve-racking because I noticed they were stopping hundreds of cars, asking for documentation presumably, so I detoured around the main street.
By the time I got back down with a camera, they had shifted. Here are many of the police gathering outside of a theater... I'm not sure why.
Many of them were in riot gear, and they were bringing in trucks like this:
Here are some of them lined up in the park near the Parliament building.
The first time I went by, police were standing about every 5 feet all the way around this:
Hundreds of people were just waiting around the government buildings, and we heard there were some protests and possibly even riots. I heard some yelling as people drove by in their cars.
There are definitely some polarized viewpoints in this city -- hence the gridlock that has prevented any political party from gaining a majority and successfully electing a President all these years. I was pleased though as I walked around that many people seemed to be satisfied with the outcome.
So today was monumental. The man elected is "
pro-Europe" and the communists party members are upset at his victory. We hope he can unite this country and help it to move forward.
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