War-torn Liberia on Tuesday held a run-off round of presidential election between a political novice and football legend, and a celebrated politician and grandmother to decide who will lead the west African state out of mud.

This time round, voters began queuing in low numbers at about 5: 30 a.m. (0530 GMT) at many places, and when polls were opened at 8 a.m. (0800 GMT), the queues move smoothly without any hindrance as voters were being processed.

The electoral commission boss, Frances Johnson-Morris, also made similar observation, saying that "turnout for this morning appears to be lower than that for October 11. However, after standing in long lines last time, some voters plan to vote later in the day when lines are expected to be shorter."

"We will only have a better picture of the voter turnout later today and after all the votes have been counted," she added.

Like many who feel that they have understood the polling procedures well and would therefore have no difficulty beating the 6 p.m. (1800 GMT) deadline when the polls are expected to close, Rose Boutline, a middle-aged woman said "I will vote later."

"I am not rushing to vote because I know the procedure and the time it will take me to cast my ballot," Boutline told Xinhua as she weeded out grasses from around her house on the outskirts of Monrovia while others were on their way at their various polling places. But "I will vote for Liberia," she added surely.

Many of those who had turned out as early as 3 a.m. (0300 GMT) during the October 11 polls, could not cast their ballots until 13 hours later due to misunderstanding in voting procedures. Ballots casting was also complicated as the more than 500 legislative and 22 presidential candidates were "too many" to choose from.

However, Tuesday's polls began in a calm, friendly and orderly atmosphere with voters having to decide between just two presidential candidates, Liberia's football star and former FIFA player of the year George Weah and Harvard-trained economist and " Iron Lady" Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Etta Joe, a 65-year-old woman, speaking in a local language through an interpreter told Xinhua that she was happy to be a part of the electoral process. "I have come to vote because I want good leadership," she said.

"We have been through many years of war and it is time for a peaceful society like the 'good old days'," the woman said.

The west African state is emerging out of 14 years of civil war which had ravaged all of its basic socioeconomic and political infrastructure, and the election is seen as the country's last hope for a brighter future provided the election is conducted freely, fairly and credibly and whose outcome should be accepted by all Liberians, the international community has warned.

A peace deal among Liberian warring factions, brokered by the Economic Community of West African States, was signed August 2003 putting in place a two-year transitional government whose tenure ends next January 16.

In support of the agreement, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of 15,000 UN peacekeeping troops and more than 1, 000 civilian police personnel to assist the transitional government to reestablish civil authority in the country and disarm combatants as well as conduct democratic elections not later than October 2005.

The first round of elections on October 11 has been described by international observers as "free and fair" and "free from fear" with large turnout.

But neither of the 22 presidential candidates could obtain the more than 50 percent votes required to win as 39-year-old football great Weah and 66-year-old economic expert Johnson-Sirleaf obtained 28.3 percent and 19.8 percent of the votes respectively, thereby making them two lead candidates for the run-off election.

But the results during the first round cannot help predict the outcome of Tuesday's run-off election, as both parties seem to be gaining significant and almost equal level of support from those who were defeated then. And it would not be until Wednesday, when the first progressive results are expected to roll in that a picture could be formed as to which one of the two candidates could emerge as the most likely winner, analysts said.

Weah, who rose from the slumps by dropping out of high school to take up a football career and became a millionaire, has had to confront his limited education and experience in politics which many have referred to as factors contributing to his unsuitability for the presidency throughout the campaign during the past 10 days.

His opponent, Ellen, as she is commonly called, is a Harvard- trained economist and former World Bank executive and said she has the "contacts and experience" to address the challenges facing the west African country that has been totally destroyed by 14 years of civil war starting from 1989.

The grandmother of six children believes she is the right one that can contend with the reconciliation among Liberians, the reconstruction of basic social services such as schools, health care facilities, roads, safe drinking water, electricity as well as reintegrating thousands of ex-combatants and the creation of job opportunities.

No matter who wins eventually, the run-off, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said, offers Liberians "an opportunity to elect a president to lead the country into a new era of peace, democracy and prosperity."

Liberia, founded in 1847 by freed American slaves, experienced a bloody civil war from 1989 to 2003 in which an estimated 250,000 people, about eight percent of its population, died and about one million made refugees.

Source: Xinhua