Sierra Leone votes in presidential run-off

By Alpha Kamara

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AA) - More than three million registered voters in Sierra Leone will choose a new president on Saturday in a run-off election.

Julius Maada Bio of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and Samura Kamara of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) are frontrunners for the polls, qualifying with 43.3 percent and 42.7 percent of the votes, respectively.

The run off initially scheduled for March 27 was put on hold after a ruling party member accused the election body of malpractices.

Bio's election campaign focuses on change, while Kamari is urging people to vote for continuity.

Bio, a former military junta leader, ruled the country briefly in 1996, following a coup.

Kamara has served three governments, including the military junta headed by Bio. He was also program manager at the World Bank.

President Ernest Bai Korma will step down after completing his second and final term.

This election will be the third consecutive democratic transition from one president to another.

The West African country is battling the deadly Ebola virus which has claimed hundreds of lives since its outbreak in 2014.