Polls opened on Sunday for presidential and legislative elections in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau, with President Umaro Sissoco Embalo trying to become the first leader in three decades to win a second consecutive term in the West African nation.
He is up against 11 other candidates, the strongest of them relative political newcomer Fernando Dias who has the backing of the party that led the fight for independence from Portugal in the 1960s and 1970s.
That party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, was barred from fielding its own candidates for the first time after authorities said it filed papers late.
Analysts are predicting a close race between Embalo and Dias, and a runoff will be held if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote.
BOOMING COCAINE TRADE
The small coastal nation between Senegal and Guinea saw at least nine coups between 1974, when it gained independence from Portugal, and 2020, when Embalo took office.
Embalo says he has survived another three since then, though his opponents have accused him of manufacturing crises as an excuse for crackdowns - charges he dismisses.
He has vowed to bring stability, build more roads and expand water access if given a second term. However, he has been dogged by questions about his legitimacy all year, with opponents saying his mandate expired in February.
Dias has accused Embalo of planning to undermine Guinea-Bissau's institutions to strengthen the power of the presidency if re-elected.
In an interview with Reuters on the eve of the vote, Dias criticised Embalo for failing to curtail the drug trade in Guinea-Bissau, which remains a key transit point for cocaine travelling from South America to Europe.
"He is the head of government. Nobody does anything without his authorization," Dias told Reuters.
Embalo has rejected allegations that his government has anything to do with the drug trade.
In a report in August, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) said the cocaine trade in Guinea-Bissau could be more profitable now than at any point in the country's history.
"Regarding drug trafficking, only the political will of our leaders can help our country wage a crusade against this scourge," Jorge Monteiro, a 38-year-old customs officer, said as he cast his ballot in the capital Bissau.
POLARISED POLITICAL CLIMATE
Most polling stations in Bissau opened on time and voting proceeded without incident on Sunday morning.
Nearly half of Guinea-Bissau's roughly two million people are registered to vote.
"The current electoral climate is extremely tense, with a very polarised political landscape," said Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, director of the Observatory of Illicit Economies in West Africa, which is part of GI-TOC.
"The opposition have significant and longstanding popular support, however their campaigning efforts have been very restricted, and it is not an even playing field."
Voters appeared divided as the campaigns held their final rallies on Friday.
Saico Cande, a tailor, expressed confidence that Embalo would find a solution to the country's security and food crises.
But Berta da Goya, a businesswoman, said she was troubled by Embalo's decision to dissolve parliament after what his government described as a coup attempt in late 2023.
Polls are scheduled to close at 1700 GMT, with provisional results expected within 48 hours.
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