The district council elections were largely considered a success, despite some problems. Authorities in Puntland, another autonomous region of Somalia that disputes some territorial boundaries with Somaliland, threatened the election. Because of security concerns, 74 polling stations out of 800 were closed In Eastern Saang and Sool. Most of the problems in the election could be attributed to the newly founded SEC, rather than security concerns. Though reports of double voting and ballot stuffing were present and there were problems due to an undereducated and mostly illiterate voting population, international observers from Denmark, Sweden, Kenya, South Africa and Britain confirmed that the elections were well conducted and successful, noting the high turnout of female voters and the organization of the electoral officials.