The Sierra Leone presidential election has been marred by delays as local media and opposition figures said that several stations had opened later than the scheduled 7am local time leading to chaotic scenes among voters in some areas.
Amid a crippling economic crisis that sparked deadly riots last year, incumbent president Juliys Maada Bio faced a dozen challengers — 12 men and one woman — though experts predicted a two-horse race between the president and his main rival, Samura Kamara, the head of the All People's Congress party, DW reports.
A poll last week by the Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), a partner of the pan-African survey group Afrobarometer, forecast that Bio, from the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), would win 56% of the vote, with 43% for Kamara.
Another poll, by the Sierra Eye magazine and two local research groups, forecast 38% for the incumbent and 25% for his main challenger.
The winner must secure 55% of the vote to avoid a runoff. If a second round is called, it will be the second time that the pair had faced off in a runoff, after a similar battle in 2018.
In Sierra Leone, many people vote based on regional allegiances, with those in the south and east usually picking the ruling SLPP while most people from the north and west normally vote for the opposition APC.
During Saturday's poll, voters also elected members of parliament and local councils.
Polling stations opened much later than the scheduled time of 7:00 am in the capital Freetown, AFP journalists said.
Local media said some stations were still yet to open four hours later, describing agitation among some voters, but no reports of violence.
The Cocorioko online newspaper said voting papers were also late to arrive in other areas of the country, especially the northwest.
It published videos showing alleged election malpractices, including ballot stuffing, and said several people were arrested.
SLPP lawmaker Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah complained on Twitter that some voters were being refused a chance to vote, despite carrying valid voter cards.
National Election Watch, a coalition of civil society groups, said in a statement that 84% of polling stations it observed had opened by 8:00 am. However, only 59% of stations in the Freetown area had opened by that time.
The election campaign was marred by tensions that led to the cancellation of rallies in the final stages and clashes at an opposition gathering on Wednesday.
Bio and Kamara reported small-scale attacks on their supporters ahead of polling day, with both candidates urging calm.
A group of foreign ambassadors on Wednesday issued a joint statement calling for peace.
There are concerns the tensions could worsen, particularly if no candidate secures a clear majority.