Thousands of people have attended rallies in the Central African Republic ahead of Sunday's elections, which are set to end two years of military rule.
Incumbent Francois Bozize, a former army general, ousted former President Ange-Felix Patasse in a coup in 2003.
The BBC's Joseph Benamsse says people in the capital, Bangui, are excited and eager to see CAR return to democracy.
Amongst the 11 presidential candidates, Mr Bozize is favourite to win as he has the backing of 30 parties, he says.
Voters will also be electing a new 105-seat national assembly.
History of coups
In the biggest rally so far, Mr Bozize - whose campaign slogan is "Bozize, the man for peace" - addressed more than 5,000 supporters asking them for their vote.
One of his main rivals in the presidential contest - Martin Ziguele, who served as prime minister under Mr Patasse - also held a mass meeting in Bangui on the last day of campaigning.
The army, which has a long history of coups and mutinies in CAR, has not publicly backed any candidate, although two - Andre Kolingba and Mr Bozize - have strong military links.
Mr Bozize was roundly condemned internationally when he seized power in a military coup, but he has gradually gained approval at home after restoring security to the capital, paying wage arrears and launching an anti-corruption drive.
Teams from the Francophonie organisation - comprising observers from Benin, Madagascar and Gabon - will observe the polling.
The first results are due on 23 March. If there is no clear winner in the first round of the presidential election, a second round of voting will be contested by the top two candidates.
Despite rich natural resources - diamonds, gold and uranium - the country remains one of the least developed in the world, because of corruption and mismanagement of resources.
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