San Salvador, El Salvador  - Salvadorans headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new president in a vote that could help the strife- torn Central American country put its violent political past behind it.

Polling stations opened at 6 am (1200 GMT) and closed 11 hours later, in an intense day with no major incidents in which 4.3 million people were entitled to vote.

Walter Araujo, head of El Salvador's Supreme Electoral Tribunal, said the electoral process was transparent, peaceful and saw mass participation. The first official results would be made public some two-and-a-half hours after the end of voting and no exit poll results could be legally made public until then.

For the first time in 20 years of rule by the right-wing party ARENA, the leftist FMLN was within reach of the presidency. The election between leftist former TV journalist Mauricio Funes, 49, and right-wing former police chief Rodrigo Avila, 45, however, remained too close to call, according to surveys of public opinion prior to the election.

Some 20,000 members of the security forces were in place to maintain order, and some 4,000 national and international election monitors were in place around the country.

The first verifiable vote tallies are not expected until Monday morning. Walter Araujo, director of the election authority said there had been no anomalies as voting began.

As he voted Sunday morning, Avila said he was confident of a victory. He campaigned on a platform of providing more opportunities and justice for poor Salvadorans.

Funes, in turn, stressed that "change is coming" to El Salvador. He cast his ballot in San Salvador, amid hundred of supporters.

"We are witnessing the end of a 20-year cycle of ARENA governments," he said.

Funes denounced some irregularities, including allegations that people from other Central American countries were given Salvadoran documents so they could vote.

"We denounce this for the authorities to act, but we do not believe there is large-scale fraud, so I ask all my followers to vote and to wait for the results with optimism and joy," he said.

Avila's ARENA party, which draws its support from business, rich constituents and the church, has also waged a fear campaign in recent weeks, warning voters that a Funes victory could turn the country into a communist nation under the influence of Venezuela and Cuba.

Funes and his FMLN party have waged a more moderate campaign, promising changes in the mold of recent reforms in Brazil.

Fighting between supporters of the two parties broke out during campaign events on Wednesday.

El Salvador is still recovering from a 12-year civil war that ended in 1992 and claimed the lives of 75,000 people. (dpa)