Kaynak:http://news.bbc.co.uk
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S Leone election ballots counted | |||
The ballots are being counted in public - in full view of the party agents - in the country's 6,000 polling stations. Seven presidential candidates are vying to replace Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, who is stepping down after serving two terms. The election is only the second since Sierra Leone emerged in 2001 from a decade-long civil war, during which an estimated 50,000 people were killed. The previous poll in 2002 was organised by the United Nations, which still had peacekeepers on the ground. The BBC's Will Ross in the capital, Freetown, says this time around, Sierra Leonians are running the show and the good news is the process so far has been largely trouble-free.
There had been tension in the run-up to the elections and some feared violence but the police reported no major incidents. Lengthy queues were reported across the country, with some voters queuing up before the polls had even opened. The large turnout was a sign of the population's determination to see Sierra Leone turn its back on years of instability and a civil war, our correspondent says. One female voter told the BBC: "I came out to vote for good governance, democracy, and progress in Sierra Leone." A male voter said: "I've just voted. It's wonderful. This is my second time of voting, and I thank God for that because it's my right." | |||
This is my second time of voting, and I thank God for that because it's my right 
