Freetown (Sierra Leone), Mar 7 (EFE/EPA), (Camera: Ernest Henry).- Voters in Sierra Leone on Wednesday headed to polling stations to elect a new president in the country's first general election since the 2014 Ebola outbreak.<br />The elections are to be a transition for the West African nation, as President Ernest Bai Koroma is stepping down after nearly 11 years in power.<br />"Polling in Sierra Leone now in full swing. Pleased to witness long queues of enthusiastic voters!" the European Union's ambassador to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens, said on Twitter.<br />The election is expected to be a tight contest between Samura Kamara of the ruling All People's Congress and Julius Maada Bio of the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party.<br />Amid the election campaign, Kamara accused Bio of stealing $18 million in 1996 during the time he briefly led the country's military junta government after coming to power in a coup.<br />In recent days, there have been clashes between supporters of the rival parties, leaving several people injured in the northern city of Port Loko and Bo in the south, a European diplomatic source told EFE.<br />"The National Electoral Commission wishes all voters a peaceful election day," the NEC tweeted.<br />Sierra Leone's 3.2 million registered voters are to choose from a field of 16 candidates vying for the presidency at 11,120 polling stations across the country, between 7.00 am and 5.00 pm.<br />Sources in the NEC told EFE that the first results are expected to be known as early as Saturday.<br />Nearly 4,000 people died of Ebola in Sierra Leone, primarily during the height of the outbreak in 2014, according to the World Health Organization.<br />The country was also devastated by a civil war that lasted from 1991 until 2002 and witnessed the use of child soldiers by both government and rebel forces, according to Human Rights Watch.<br />Sierra Leone gained its independence from Great Britain on Apr. 27, 1961.<br /> <br />Keywords: efe,epa,sierra leone,elections
