LEONE OPPOSITION UNITE FOR RERUN !

Two leading opposition candidates in Sierra Leone have formed an alliance, as a second round looks increasingly likely after presidential elections.
With more than 80% of the votes counted so far, the opposition All People's Congress leader Ernest Bai Koroma is in the lead with about 44% of the vote.
Charles Margai of the PMDC who so far has 14% of the ballots has announced he is now backing Mr Koroma.
The poll is the second since the end of a civil war that killed thousands.
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms. The ruling party's candidate, Solomon Berewa, is in second place with about 38%.
The BBC's Umaru Fofana in Freetown says the alliance is bad news for Mr Berewa with a run-off election on 6 September now looking certain as no single candidate is likely to secure 55% of the vote.
However, he says members of the PMDC's executive say that Mr Margai took the decision by himself and he does not speak for the party.

SIERRA LEONE KEY FACTS
1787: Set up as a freed slaves' settlement which became a British colony
1991:10-year civil war began
50,000 people killed in the conflict
Thousands more had limbs chopped off
2002: Post-war elections organised by United Nations
2005: 17,000 UN peacekeepers left

This poll run bynew electoral commission
2.6m voters
566 parliamentary candidates
112 parliamentary seats
Seven presidential contenders
Front-runners: - APC's Ernest Bai Koroma- PMDC's Charles Margai- SLPP's Solomon Berewa

Traffic light politics
In pictures: Freetown slum

The elections were the first to be organised by Sierra Leoneans since the end of the war there five years ago.
There was a high turnout and the polls were widely praised by observers with fears of violence largely failing to materialise.
During the campaigns thousands of supporters of the main candidates painted the country in their political party colours in what was a carnival like atmosphere.
Civil society organisations played an important role touring the country, often dressed in white, promoting non violence.
The previous poll in 2002 was organised by the United Nations, which still had peacekeepers on the ground then.

BBC NEWS REPORT.