In pictures: Sierra Leone poll party

Campaigning in Sierra Leone has been feverish, colourful and a good excuse for a street party ahead of polls on Saturday to elect a new president and 112 MPs.

Out of seven presidential contenders, there are three front-runners, including Charles Margai whose supporters turned out in force in the capital, Freetown, on Wednesday.

Outgoing President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah's deputy, Solomon Berewa, is the candidate for the ruling party. Their victory in 2002 followed a brutal 10-year civil war.

Ernest Bai Koroma came second in that presidential race for the party which ruled for more than two decades before the conflict. He hopes to capitalise on its popularity in Freetown.

Security has been tight, as there have been fears of violence with hundreds of unemployed ex-combatants around. UN peacekeepers withdrew in December 2005.

A group of popular musicians, Artists for Peace, have been travelling the country calling for peaceful polls. They ride into town and sing their message to big crowds.

Some 50,000 people died in the civil conflict and thousands of people had limbs hacked off by rebels. Here, some amputees attend a street rally.

Correspondents say most voters want the same thing from the winner: jobs and access to better public services. For more on the polls tune into BBC Network Weekend Africa.

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