Liberians are set to go to the polls today to choose a successor to Africa's first elected female president and Nobel Peace laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. <br/><br/>A total of 20 presidential candidates are running to succeed Ms Sirleaf. Ex-football star George Weah and Vice-President Joseph Boakai are the main contenders in the race. <br/><br/>Almost 2.2 million people are registered to vote in the election. Ms Sirleaf, 78, is stepping down at the end of her two terms. She urged people to vote peacefully in a nation still recovering from a 14-year civil war.<br/><br/>Liberia has not had a smooth transfer of power in 73 years. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than 50 percent of people living in poverty. <br/><br/>Liberia was one of three West African states badly hit by the 2014-15 Ebola outbreak which left more than 11,300 people dead.