Sierra Leone vows peaceful vote, chooses leader to help war-battered nation continue recovery
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Voters in Sierra Leone are casting ballots in the country's third election since the nation's brutal civil war ended.
Observers say Saturday's vote will be a crucial test of the West African country's democratic credentials.
Voters are choosing between incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma and eight other challengers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It's not clear whether Koroma can win the 55 percent needed to avoid a runoff vote.
Economic development is at the top of voter's concerns. Most Sierra Leoneans live on less than $1.25 a day and remain desperately poor desperate the country's vast mineral riches.
Sierra Leone suffered a devastating 1991-2002 war that was depicted in the film "Blood Diamond." Tens of thousands died, and rebels inscripted child soldiers and amputated the limbs of their victims.