It's not clear who is leading in the presidential race between President Julius Maada Bio and his main contender Samura Kamara, but both sides have already said that they won the poll.

Election observers have urged them to remain calm and wait for the official results. But there are worries that no results have been announced.

The European Union mission urged the electoral commission to provide "full transparency during the tabulation of results" to ease tensions.

The Carter Center also expressed concern over "reports indicating a lack of transparency during parts of the tabulation process", the AFP news agency quotes it as saying.

The winner of the election must secure 55% of the valid votes cast, otherwise there will be a run-off between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the results.

A lot is at stake as the West African country faces many issues including a worsening cost-of-living crisis, poverty and massive unemployment.