Even so, the national police chief described the elections as "the most peaceful and orderly political exercise ever held in our land".Mr Aquino played on his reputation for honesty, contrasting himself with Mrs Arroyo, whose administration has been beset by corruption scandals.
But is orderly liquidation authority even an exercise of Congress' power under the Bankruptcy Clause?
Adopting the plans "allows them to exercise the options in an orderly manner that will have minimal disruption in the marketplace," said Lauren C. Steele, vice president for corporate affairs at the company, based in Charlotte, N.C.
"We must enrich the forms of democracy, make democratic procedures complete, expand citizen's orderly political participation, and ensure that the people can exercise democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration and democratic scrutiny," Mr. Hu said.
Spokesman Hui Chun-tak urged protesters to leave in an orderly fashion, but stressed the police would remain impartial and "exercise the greatest tolerance".
Nigerians exercised the patience of Job in their millions, orderly queuing as the bureaucrats sorted out technical faults and dealt with the grumbles over voters cards.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, congratulated the west African nation for holding a "largely peaceful and orderly" ballot but called on citizens to "maintain a peaceful atmosphere and to exercise patience".
One exercise seemed aimed at a peaceful demonstration, with protesters marching in an orderly fashion and holding up signs demanding "no more bloodshed" in the nonexistent country of Upper Grahambia, named for Inspector Graham.
