There were long lines at some polling stations for the first presidential election in 10 years Voters in Ivory Coast are waiting for the results of Sunday’s presidential poll, aimed at reuniting the country after eight years of division.
The BBC’s John James in Abidjan says people are desperate to find out who their next leader will be and relieved that the poll went smoothly.
The head of the United Nations mission congratulated voters on their discipline during the poll.
President Laurent Gbagbo faces two strong challengers.
They are former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara, who is popular in the north and ex-President Henri Konan Bedie, from the party which governed the country for almost 40 years.
Ivory Coast, one of the world’s main cocoa producers, used to be West Africa’s richest country until political unrest sparked by a coup against Mr Bedie in 1999.
The country has been divided in two since northerners took up arms in 2002.
But UN Ivory Coast mission head Young Jin Choi told the BBC that a successful election could pave the way for the 8,500 peacekeepers to withdraw.
“We are confident, once this election is over peacefully and democratically, if we can deal with other issues quickly, then we can envisage an exit strategy,” he told the BBC’s Newshour programme.
There were some reports of delays but voting was otherwise said to have been peaceful and turnout appears to have been good.
Polling stations: 20,073Polling staff: 60,000Registered voters: 5.7mPresidential candidates: 14Front runners: Laurent Gbagbo (LMP), Henri Konan Bedie (PDCI-RDA), Alassane Ouattara (RDR)Ex-rebel leader Guillaume Soro, now interim prime minister, too young to run at 38European Union observers on the ground: 120UN peacekeepers: 8,500Ivorian election tourIvorian tax-free rebel city flourishes
Representatives of the major candidates have praised the poll.
“We are on the right track,” said Abdoul Toure of Mr Ouattara’s RDR party, dismissing fears of violence.
Our reporter says there is optimism that people will react well to the results – unless there is evidence of fraud.
Preliminary results are due within three days.
In the country’s first presidential election in a decade, President Gbagbo faces 13 rivals.
The poll has been postponed six times since 2005, when Mr Gbagbo’s five-year mandate officially came to an end, amid rows over rebel disarmament and voter registration.
Although the New Forces rebels signed a peace deal with Mr Gbagbo in 2007, they still control the largely Muslim north, where many people says they faced discrimination under both Mr Gbagbo and Mr Bedie.
Many northerners are likely to back Mr Ouattara, a former IMF economist who was banned from previous races amid accusations that his origins lie in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
But both President Gbagbo and Mr Bedie are seen as strong contenders, with a second round likely later in November.
All three believe they will win, raising fears of unrest when the results come through.
Many of the contenders for the top job have similar policies: Relaunching the economy, reducing youth unemployment and stopping further conflict.
The delay in organising elections since the 2007 peace deal has put investments on hold, as well as postponing reforms of the cocoa industry which produces nearly 40% of the world’s supply of the raw ingredient for chocolate.
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