Haitians vote for a president and a new chance at democracy today in the first elections since the overthrow of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide two years ago.
Exactly 20 years after the dictatorial rule of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier crumbled, today's vote offers some hope for an end to the coups and instability that have crippled Haiti since then.
A Haitian child smiles outside at a polling station in Gonaives.
"People are exhausted by this instability, the lack of security," Gerard Le Chevallier, the top UN official overseeing the election, said.
Front runner Rene Preval, an ally of Mr Aristide, draws support from the miserable urban slums and rural areas where his mentor Mr Aristide was strongest.
Mr Preval was also president from 1996 to 2001, an era of relative calm, and he is Haiti's only elected leader to end his term and hand over power peacefully.
Mr Preval has a comfortable lead in opinion polls but needs to win at least 50 per cent of the votes to avoid a run-off next month. Officials say it will take three days to count the ballots.
Mr Preval's main rivals are Charles Baker, a successful industrialist, and Leslie Manigat, who was president for four months in 1988 before being overthrown in a military coup. There are 33 presidential candidates, but most stand no chance.
UN forces used trucks and even mules to ferry ballot papers to voting stations around the country yesterday.
Many Haitians suspect the unelected interim government has tried to make voting as difficult as possible in poor areas to hurt Mr Preval. Some say they were not told where to cast their ballots, and others will have to walk several miles.