More than 80 per cent of voters in Rwanda have reportedly cast their votes in the first election in the country since the 1994 genocide in which some 800,000 people were killed.
Polls in the central African country of eight million closed at 2 p.m. (Irish Time) and international observers said voting appeared to have gone smoothly in the presidential ballot.
The incumbent President, Mr Paul Kagame, is the clear favourite. He said he hoped to have provisional results later today.
Mr Paul is an ethnic Tutsi who led the rebel movement which ended the slaughter of the Tutsi minority and moderate Hutus by Hutu extremists.
Electoral officials said initial indications showed a high turnout, estimated at 80 per cent. However, a European Union observer raised concerns about allegations of intimidation of opposition supporters during the election campaign.
"Many (non-governmental organisations) and opposition candidates protested about the climate of intimidation during the election campaign with reports of people disappearing or being arrested without charge," Ms Nelly Maes said in a statement.
"Against this backdrop, it is difficult to speak of truly democratic elections," she said. About 1,900 election observers, including 350 foreigners, monitored the poll in which 3.9 million Rwandans were registered to vote.