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FREETOWN (AFP) - Voting in Sierra Leone's local elections, seen as a popularity test for president Ernest Koroma, got underway in Freetown Saturday under heavy police presence after a campaign marred by violence.

The voting got off to a slow start with not many people queueing up in the capital Freetown after the polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT).

In the last few weeks there have been reports of widespread violence, defacing of posters of rival candidates and intimidation by alleged supporters of the ruling All People's Congress (APC) party and the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

Police were out in force and in Freetown they checked people in line to vote and removed anyone seen to be wearing party colours.

The election commission had banned the wearing of party colours -- green for the SLPP and red for the APC-- in the polling booths.

One of the poorest nations of the world, Sierra Leone is struggling to rebuild after a decade-long civil war (1991-2001) that left 120,000 people dead and tens of thousands mutilated.