Sierra Leone called out to vote on Saturday in the final round of a presidential campaign marked by verbal sparring, sporadic violence and a last-minute legal battle.
The vote of the West African state was delayed after an allegation of electoral fraud in the first round earlier this month.
Former military coup leader Julius Maada Bio received the most votes in the first round and now faces ruling party candidate Samura Kamara who is an economist by training.
Maada Bio received 43.3 per cent of the vote in the first round. But, in Sierra Leone the president is elected by absolute majority and if no-one gets 55 per cent then it goes to a run-off, reports BBC.
President Ernest Bai Koroma is stepping down as president after serving two five-year terms. He chose Mr Kamara as his successor to run as president for the All People's Congress (APC).
Maada Bio, who is leading the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), lost to Mr Koroma in the last election. But Maada had already ruled the country briefly.
The 53-year-old was part of a group of soldiers who overthrew the government in 1992. Four years later he staged another coup and ruled Sierra Leone between January and March 1996.
