Sweden here, all manual on paper. A first count in 2-3 hours the night of the election, then a complete recount the following weeks in all districts, no triggers or conditions to keep it simple and use the same process for any result.

You can observe the vote happening, count on election night or recount as long as you follow the instructions and don't interfere with it in any way, this includes adjacent rooms.

In Germany, those counting the polls are often associated with the parties, so you actually often have party members (at least of the biggest parties) involved in the counting. But because any party can contribute + there is free access for observers, this is a non-problem.

Actually I believe it's a feature, as it would (politically) be a lot harder to argue for the poll workers to be one-sided if your own party members are part of it.