In the Liberian capital of Monrovia, the queues at the polling booths began to form at midnight.

By 9am today, under fierce sun, they stretched for hundreds of yards along dirt tracks and pot-holed streets across the war-torn country.

Although 14 years of civil war swiftly transformed the oldest African republic from a model state into a byword for the blood-soaked collapse, the first democratic elections since 1997 has changed the mood to one of hope.

Abbott Hunter waited patiently outside an abandoned bank building which, despite lacking power or water, is one of the 3,070 election stations.

"The Bible says I’m the head, not the tail. I wanted to be here first to vote for my future," said the 31-year old street preacher.

"We need better education, food, electricity. Our country could be so rich."

The 1.2 million who have registered to vote - half are under 31, and more than half are female - are deciding between a field of 22 presidential candidates.

They include two former warlords, evangelical preachers, businessmen, lawyers and survivors from either side of the civil war. The multitude of candidates was satirised in a hit song, I Want to be President Too.

The two frontrunners are George Weah, a 40-year old international football star who has played for AC Milan and Chelsea. His rise from a Monrovia slum to stardom has captivated much of Liberia’s youth.

In the absence of official polling data, his main opponent is considered to be Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 66, a Harvard-educated former government minister who would become Africa’s first elected female president if she wins.

Although separated by a gulf in education and experience in Liberia's frequently deadly politics, both they and the other hopefuls are united by a desire to drag the ailing nation back on to its feet.

"We want to be free, with no more war. The new president must take care of us," said Sarah Kanga, a 43-year old market trader and mother of nine children.

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