Stability must wait

International | After a vote called "comparatively peaceful," America's 5th-largest oil supplier still perilously sits on a Christian/Muslim divide | Priya Abraham

Nigeria's presidential election is over, but the political outcome may not be decided until months after a May inauguration. Results of April 19 polling favored incumbent Olusegun Obasanjo, but the country has a history of rough transitions from one civilian government to another. Allegations of vote rigging and irregularities followed elections in 1965 and 1983, pretexts that culminated in military coups that installed generals as heads of state. Mr. Obasanjo's first electoral victory, in 1999, ended 16 years of military rule.

In addition to coup potential, this time around observers fear Muslim-Christian clashes. The election pitted Mr. Obasanjo, a Christian, against Muslim Muhammadu Buhari. Increasingly the country is divided over religious affiliations. Twelve of the 16 northern and central states have either adopted or plan to adopt Shariah law, the Islamic criminal code. Growing Muslim fervor has increasingly distanced the north from the south in the last five years, and has led to street clashes that have killed thousands.