Polling stations opened across Liberia on Tuesday for the second round of presidential election as citizens voted to choose a new leader.

The much-anticipated second round of voting is a contest between opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) candidate George Weah and Liberian vice president Joseph Boakai, the governing Unity Party's candidate.

The winner will replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female president, who is stepping down after two terms in office.

In the capital city of Monrovia, there was a heavy presence of security personnel in all polling centers, and at least three queue controllers at each of the centers.

Terence Wennah, a voter, said the voting process had been smooth and fast as he spent less than 20 minutes on queue to cast his vote.

Alfred Thomas, another voter, said it was too early to describe a seemingly low turnout as "voter apathy."

Thomas said more voters are likely to come out to perform their civic rights before the close of polls at 3 p.m. local time.

No candidate was able to secure the 50 percent plus one valid votes cast required by law to be elected president in the first round on Oct. 10.

Weah, a former soccer star, garnered 38.4 percent of the vote in the first round against Boakai's 28.8 percent.

Liberian police on Monday said security had been beefed up throughout the country ahead of the presidential run-off, allaying fears of possible violence.

(Xinhua News Agency, December 26, 2017)