Voting has ended in Sierra Leon as the country waits for the official declaration of the winner in the delayed run-off.

The result is not expected until next week as counting gets underway.

Voting got under way early in peaceful conditions, according to witnesses, but the candidate of the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Julius Maada Bio, blamed the presence of security forces at polling stations for a low turnout during on Saturday.

There has been ban on  driving  imposed on election day for security reasons,forcing electorates  to walk to their nearest voting station.

The run off is between  coup leader Julius Maada Bio and the president's hand-picked successor Samura Kamara.
The vote 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  but failed to get the required 55%, setting him up against ruling party candidate Samura Kamara  in  a run off.

Mr Maada Bio received 43.3% of the vote in the first round.

Sierra Leonean election demands the president is elected by absolute majority and if no-one gets 55% then it goes to a run-off.

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).

Mr Maada Bio, who is leading the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), lost to Mr Koroma in the last election. But Mr Maada Bio 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.

Media captionWhat are the challenges for the next president of Sierra Leone?

Whoever wins this time, one of the greatest challenges for the new leader will be to improve healthcare following the devastating Ebola outbreak in 2014.

It killed nearly 4,000 people yet there are still only 200 doctors serving the country of seven million people.

The run-off was originally due to take place on Tuesday but the High Court ordered a delay after a member of the ruling party alleged there had been electoral fraud in the first round.

But the court rejected a petition by the ruling APC seeking an indefinite suspension of the run-off to allow for a forensic audit of the 7 March vote.

Source:ghanaguardian.com