freetown • Voters in Sierra Leone went to the polls yesterday in a presidential run-off dogged by allegations of foul play in this west African country recovering from a brutal civil war.

Outgoing Vice President Solomon Berewa, 69, faces a tight race against 53-year-old opposition leader Ernest Koroma, with Sierra Leone looking to turn the page after more than a decade of conflict fuelled by "blood diamonds".

Both candidates complained that their party workers were being harassed by police.

Berewa said he had received a number of reports that police in Freetown had manhandled workers from his party at various polling stations, taking some of them away.

"You call that fair play, is that the way we are going to continue the peace?" Berewa asked at a press conference in the capital.

Koroma expressed concern about the situation in the eastern ruling party stronghold of Kailahun, where he said his workers could not access some polling stations and had to eventually flee.

"Our local agents were harassed and it got to a point where they feared for their lives," he said.

"An election that is credible would be accepted by us. (But) it is the people of this country that will react if the election is not credible," he added.

Dozens were wounded in inter-party clashes ahead of the vote in the former British colony and security was high across the country on polling day.

Poll monitors said the second round of voting was more orderly than an inconclusive first ballot almost one month ago.