Polling materials, including ballot boxes and papers, have been deployed across war-torn Liberia, four days ahead of the turbulent West African country's general elections, the elections commission announced Friday.

Frances Johnson-Morris, chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), told reporters that 3,070 polling centers have been established throughout Liberia and that 18,600 polling staff have been recruited and trained to supervise the elections.

A total of 3,865 international and local observers have also been accredited, Morris said.

"The NEC is confident that the months of work that NEC staff and international partners have been pouring into the electoral process will result in a successful election that all Liberians can be proud of," she said.

Morris made this known after she met with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, also the chairman of the 53-member African Union, who arrived Friday in the country on a one-day visit.

"Obasanjo came to assess preparations and progress of the elections. He commended the elections commission and asked them to continue their good work for successful elections," she said.

The NEC boss said she also met with chief mediator of the Liberian peace agreement, former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar on the status of the election preparations.

Nigeria has played a lead role in restoring peace to Liberia following 14 years of civil war that ended in 2003, and has one of the largest contingent within the multi-national United Nations peacekeeping force.

While in Liberia, Obasanjo and Abubakar also met political parties and civil society representatives.

Founded in 1822 mainly by freed slaves from the United States, Liberia has witnessed a series of political and social turmoil resulting in the 1980 military coup in which president William Tolbert was killed.

The 14-year civil war that followed from 1989 to 2003 claimed the lives of about 250,000 people and turned about one million to refugees.

Liberians are expecting that Tuesday's elections will mark a departure from war to lasting peace and stability in a country rich in rubber, timber, iron ore, diamond and gold as well as fertile soil.
 
Some 1.35 million Liberians of the 3-million population have registered to choose the country's president from among 22 aspirants and 94 legislators from among 718 candidates.

Poll results are expected to be announced within 15 days from the date of the elections.

A presidential candidate winning over 50 percent votes would be declared winner, if not, there would be a run-off within three weeks to choose a president between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2005)