Kinshasa - Tensions are high as the Democratic Republic of Congo holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Monday after a campaign marred by violence, including clashes in which at least two people died.
Incumbent President Joseph Kabila, 40, in power since 2001, is tipped to win a new five-year term running for the ruling People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) against a divided opposition field of 10 challengers.
His main rival is veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, 78, running for the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS).
The two men's supporters have clashed several times in the run-up to the vote, and the last day of campaigning Saturday descended into chaos as police banned all rallies. They used teargas, water cannons and live ammunition to disperse Tshisekedi's supporters.
At least two people died in the unrest, though the exact circumstances were unclear. The campaign violence drew condemnation and calls for calm from the international community.
Logistical nightmares and accusations of fraud have added to tensions around the vote.
The election commission had to bring in 81 aircraft to deliver 64 million ballot papers across a country two-thirds the size of western Europe.
The process was plagued by delays, raising fears of a postponement - though the commission's president guaranteed on Sunday the vote would go ahead on time.
The commission has also faced fraud allegations, from opposition charges of “fictitious” polling stations to a leaked report by a consulting firm that said there were tens of thousands of ghost voters on the rolls.
The elections are just the second since back-to-back wars from 1996 to 2003 in a country that remains one of the least developed in the world despite a wealth of cobalt, copper, diamonds and gold. The central African giant has 32 million registered voters.
Polls open at 6:00 am (0400 GMT in the east) and close at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT in the west). - Sapa-AFP