Liberia opposition 'boycott poll'
Opposition parties condemn the National Elections Commission's handling of the presidential poll. Eight opposition parties in Liberia say they are pulling out of the presidential election, which they call flawed.
They include the candidates who finished in second and third place.
They say the National Elections Commission manipulated vote-counting in favour of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Partial results show Mrs Sirleaf leading, but short of the majority needed to avoid a run-off vote.
The latest results published by the electoral commission, with just over half the votes counted put Mrs Sirleaf on 45.4% of the vote, while her nearest rival, Winston Tubman polled 29.5% and former warlord Prince Johnson on 11.4%.
Nobel peace prizeThe electoral commission has until 26 October to announce the final results.
Under the rules, if no candidate scores an overall majority, a run-off between the two front runners will be held early next month.
This is the first election organised by Liberia's National Elections Commission - the previous one was run by the UN.
But 8,000 UN peacekeepers were deployed across Liberia, helping the election to unfold in a quiet atmosphere.
Liberia's presidential rivals
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf:
- Africa's first female elected head of state
- Harvard-trained economist, former finance minister
- Twice forced into exile
- Won 2011 Nobel Peace Prize
Winston Tubman:
- Nephew of Liberia's longest-serving President William Tubman
- Harvard-trained lawyer, former justice minister
- UN envoy to Somalia from 2002 to 2005
- Came fourth in 2005 election
President Sirleaf, who was first elected in 2005, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week - a decision denounced by Mr Tubman and other candidates.
Mr Tubman is running under the banner of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, with ex-football star George Weah as his running mate.
Mr Weah was beaten by Mrs Sirleaf in the 2005 poll.
Prince Johnson's forces infamously filmed the torture and murder of dictator Samuel Doe in 1990.
"I will be happy to be the king-maker," he told the Associated Press news agency on Thursday.
"And where we will put our support will depend on what our supporters say... We will not put our votes into someone's hands blindly."
After the war, he became a born-again Christian pastor and was elected to the senate in the 2005 poll.
Mrs Sirleaf had said she would only seek a single term but explained her U-turn by saying she wanted to finish the work she had started.
While Mrs Sirleaf is well regarded by the international community, some analysts say she is less popular at home.
Her challengers accuse her of not doing enough to improve the lives of ordinary people, who remain among the poorest in the world.
Mrs Sirleaf has also been criticised for backing former President Charles Taylor - currently on trial at The Hague for alleged war crimes - when he began his rebellion in 1989.
The pair later fell out and she apologised for her role, but Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission said she should be barred from holding public office.
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