The 1961 vote was seen as clean but raised doubts about later elections.

Evidence

The clearest manifestation of this political tussle between civic and sectarian forces was the debate surrounding the management of the respective municipal and parliamentary elections of 1963 and 1964. Local and national political actors were divided about how to manage public affairs and these two elections clearly manifested the contrast between the two agendas. The last nationwide vote had been the constitutional plebiscite of 1961, which was widely seen as an accurate reflection of the people’s will. In addition, the presidential election of 1961 was a cliff hanger, which demonstrated that the incumbent did not improperly influence the process. In spite of these democratic precedents, there was a great deal of concern that the municipal and parliamentary elections might not meet the same standards. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 665