Observers say the referendum is credible and "virtually certain" the results will lead to secession.

Polling stations were due to wrap up their counts in the landmark referendum on South Sudan secession, with foreign poll observer mission said on Monday that the secession of south Sudan was "virtually certain".

Partial results from the southern regional capital Juba showed a landslide for partitioning Africa's largest nation and creating the world's newest state in July, but the final verdict is not expected before next month after the votes have been collated from across the vast, war-ravaged region.
Polling stations across the south were due to complete their counts on Monday, triggering the huge logistical effort of bringing in the ballots to centers in a region that has just 40 kilometers of paved road.
In the southern capital Juba, the first voting centers to post their results all returned huge majorities for breaking away.

At Juba University it was 2,663 votes to 69. In the city's Hay Malakal neighbourhood it was 1,809 to 75.

A UN panel set up to monitor the referendum cautioned that "while the Sudanese would want to know the outcome of the referendum quickly, we urge the people of Sudan to be patient and be aware that only the results announced by the referendum authorities are official."

OBSERVERS
Both the Carter Centre foundation of former US president Jimmy Carter and the European Union observer mission said the week-long referendum had been credible. The Carter Centre said it broadly met international standards.

"Based on early reports of vote counting results, it appears virtually certain that the results will be in favour of secession," the Carter Centre said as polling stations across the south were due to complete their counts.

"Overall, the referendum process to this point has been successful and broadly consistent with international standards," it added.

The European Union observer mission said the vote on separating the mainly Christian, African south from the mainly Arab, Muslim north after five decades of conflict had been "peaceful and credible."
"If I had to summaries the conduct of the referendum, I would say free and peaceful voting took place, with an overwhelming turnout," the EU mission's chief, Veronique de Keyser, told a Khartoum news conference.

"It is expected that the initial turnout will be significantly in excess of the 60 percent required to validate the referendum," she added.
De Keyser said there had been "only isolated cases of intimidation" by government security officials at polling stations.