With U.N. tanks and troops standing guard, Liberians waited in long lines Tuesday to vote for the country's first postwar president, who many hope will bring stability to one of Africa's most turbulent countries. Turnout appeared to be strong, with some voters lining up hours before the polls opened in churches, schools and long-shuttered banks. Many sat on benches or huddled under umbrellas to shelter them from the broiling tropical sun. Some 1.3 million Liberians had registered to vote at more than 3,000 polling stations."I'm voting for a better life, a better leader that can bring peace," said Willie Miller, a 58-year-old unemployed man. "Years ago, the country was good ... it was beautiful. Now we're bad off, barely able to feed ourselves." Twenty-two candidates are vying for the top job in Liberia, in tatters after 14 years of nearly continuous civil war that ended with a peace deal in 2003. A transitional government has arranged the vote and 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers are keeping the calm.