Some polling stations opened several hours late, with local media reporting confusion among crowds of voters. A two-horse race for president emerged between incumbent Julius Maada Bio and opposition leader Samur Kamara.
Ednews reports that Sierra Leoneans voted on Saturday in a presidential election to decide whether to give incumbent Julius Maada Bio a second term.
Local media and opposition figures said that several stations had opened later than the scheduled 7:00 a.m local time (0700 GMT), leading to chaotic scenes among voters in some areas. Voting was scheduled to close at 5 p.m.
The AFP news agency's correspondents also said that they witnessed some polling stations in the capital Freetown opening later than scheduled.
Amid a crippling economic crisis that sparked deadly riots last year, 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.
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 have faced off in a runoff, after a similar battle in 2018.
In Siera 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.
