Guinea Bissau holds a presidential election on Sunday that voters hope will bring change to the coup-prone nation after weeks of political chaos that sparked violent protests and deadlocked parliament, Trend reports citing Reuters.
President Jose Mario Vaz, 61, is seeking re-election for a second term, and he remains popular among cashew nut farmers in the interior after raising prices for the nuts — the tiny West African country’s biggest export earner.
But he faces stiff opposition following a first five-year term marred by political infighting, regular high-level sackings and corruption that came to a head in the run-up to Sunday’s election.
While no reliable opinion polls have been published, political analysts say the front-runner is former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, 56, a modernizer with a relaxed style whose promise to bolster health and education have made him popular with younger voters in the capital, Bissau.
Preliminary results are expected on Nov. 28. If there is no outright winner, a second round between the top two candidates will take place on Dec. 29.
“Guinea Bissau has faced five years of political and institutional crises,” Pereira told Reuters, adding that the country needs “a president who is able to create an atmosphere conducive to the restoration of peace and stability.”