A second round of polling for Liberia's presidential election, the first since the end of its 14- year civil war, is likely, the electoral commission predicted on Thursday, citing initial results from some 10 percent of polling stations.

Vote results tallied from 278 polling places of the 3,070 polling centers showed that football icon George Weah has maintained an overnight lead in the presidential poll so far with 23.7 percent, said the electoral commission's boss, Frances Johnson-Morris.

Liberia's foremost female politician Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf came second with 14.5 percent while former senator Charles Brumskine was placed third with 11.8 percent, he told a press conference.

"Going by these results, a run-off is likely because the candidate will need more than 50 percent to win," she said.

Official results are expected by October 26 and if there is a second round, it will be held in early November.

Weah, 39, gained his popularity from the national football team as a star player and from his success from a professional career in Europe where he won the FIFA World, African, and European Player of the Year awards in 1995.

Weah, who did not complete high school, is however seen by many Liberians as a patriot and one who loves and believes in his country.

Harvard-trained economist Johnson-Sirleaf, 66, nicknamed Iron Lady, is a former finance minister in the William Tolbert government in 1979 and a former head of the UN Development Program African region.

She is also well known internationally and is seen as one with whom the international community is comfortable of doing business. If elected, she would be the continent's first female head of state.

Large number of the 1.3 million registered voters walked through muddy roads and braved hot sun to cast their ballots on Tuesday, the first election since the end of Liberia's 14-year brutal civil war that killed about 250,000 people, eight percent of its population.

UN special envoy Alan Doss hailed the polls was conducted with "complete absence of violence" and said he was "struck by the patience, the determination and the friendliness" displayed by all voters.

A total of 94 legislators from 718 candidates will also be elected. It's expected that the fresh leadership ending the west African nation's two-year interim period would restore peace and jump-start development in a country rich in diamond, gold, timber, iron ore and rubber as well as fertile soil.

Founded in 1847 by freed slaves from the United States, Liberia is one of the world's poorest nations. Its 3 million people can expect to live an average 47.7 years and survive on average 150 US dollars per year.

About 80 percent of its population is still illiterate and a similar percentage unemployed.

Source: Xinhua