A turnout of nearly 80 percent for a first round of voting in December was largely viewed as a popular rejection of the violence, which has left the northeast under the control of Muslim rebels while Christian militias roam the southwest.
Both Dologuele, a banker, and trained mathematics professor Touadera have made the restoration of peace and security the centerpiece of their presidential campaigns. Both candidates are Christians.
Touadera has portrayed himself as an anti-corruption stalwart, while Dologuele pledges to revive the economy and draw in investors hesitant until now to exploit significant gold, diamond and uranium deposits.
"This election is taking place at a moment when the country is really at a crossroads ... This is an amazing opportunity to start fresh," said Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, who heads MINUSCA, the country's 11,000-troop strong UN peacekeeping mission.
However, while the polls should re-establish democracy after three years of unpopular interim administrations, observers warn against setting expectations too high.
Whoever wins the presidency will face the daunting tasks of extending state authority outside the capital, rebuilding the army, breathing life into a moribund economy and restoring a semblance of security in across nation awash with guns.
"(Elections) are not going to solve the deep, systemic problems that put this country into conflict," said Lewis Mudge, Africa researcher for Human Rights Watch. "It's cheaper to buy a grenade in Bangui than it is to buy a can of Coke. That's how bad it is here."