Votes are being counted in Liberia's second presidential election since a 14-year civil war ended in 2003.

利比里亚第二轮总统选举计票工作正在进行中，这是2003年为期14年的内战结束以后的首次选举。

Observers have hailed the election a success
Election officials said Tuesday's vote went off peacefully, with no violence reported.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was first elected in 2005, is facing her strongest challenge from former diplomat¹ Winston Tubman.

She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week - a decision denounced（谴责，揭发） by Mr Tubman and other candidates.

This is the first election Liberia's National Elections Commission has organised as the previous one was run by the UN.

Its chairman James Fromoyan said provisional（临时的） results would be released on Thursday.

"The commission is pleased that the process has unfolded in a quiet atmosphere," he said.

African Union observer mission head Speciosa Wandira said she hoped the rival candidates would accept the result.

"From what I see, there is no reason to worry," she said.

Long queues

African elections are often marred² by allegations of rigging and violence after results are announced.

Some 8,000 UN peacekeepers have been deployed³ across Liberia to prevent any violence.

Sixteen candidates contested the poll, but the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in the capital, Monrovia, says it is expected to be a two-horse race between Mrs Sirleaf and Mr Tubman.

His running mate is ex-football star George Weah, who was beaten by Mrs Sirleaf in the 2005 poll.

Long queues formed at polling stations, with many people braving heavy rains to vote.

President Sirleaf praised the voters for their patience and discipline.

"I feel so good for the Liberian people, they have demonstrated a certain level of political maturity⁴."

Mr Tubman, running under the banner of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, told the BBC that turnout was "huge" - a sentiment backed by former Nigerian head of state Yakubu Gowon, who was observing the the election.