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| Guinea-Bissau votes for new president and parliament | Guinea-Bissau votes for new president and parliament |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Guinea-Bissau is voting in presidential and parliamentary elections, amid hope that stability can be restored. | Guinea-Bissau is voting in presidential and parliamentary elections, amid hope that stability can be restored. |
| Already poor, the west African country is plagued by corruption, fuelled by cocaine trafficking. | Already poor, the west African country is plagued by corruption, fuelled by cocaine trafficking. |
| It is the first election since a coup in 2012, after which the EU and others suspended aid donations. | It is the first election since a coup in 2012, after which the EU and others suspended aid donations. |
| With a history of coups, no elected leader has served a full term since independence from Portugal in 1974. | With a history of coups, no elected leader has served a full term since independence from Portugal in 1974. |
| There are 13 candidates for president and 15 parties fielding candidates for parliament. | There are 13 candidates for president and 15 parties fielding candidates for parliament. |
| Among the presidential hopefuls are political heavyweights such as former Finance Minister Jose Mario Vaz, and Abel Incada, a member of the Party for Social Renewal (PRS) of former President Kumba Yala, who died last week. | Among the presidential hopefuls are political heavyweights such as former Finance Minister Jose Mario Vaz, and Abel Incada, a member of the Party for Social Renewal (PRS) of former President Kumba Yala, who died last week. |
| The dark horse, however, could be 50-year-old independent candidate Paulo Gomes, an unusual proposition in a political landscape hitherto dominated by political grandees who made their names during the war of independence. | The dark horse, however, could be 50-year-old independent candidate Paulo Gomes, an unusual proposition in a political landscape hitherto dominated by political grandees who made their names during the war of independence. |
| A gifted economist who has spent most of his life working abroad, including as the leader of the World Bank's sub-Saharan Africa division, he believes he has the know-how to begin to turn around the country's fortunes. | A gifted economist who has spent most of his life working abroad, including as the leader of the World Bank's sub-Saharan Africa division, he believes he has the know-how to begin to turn around the country's fortunes. |
| The west African nation has stagnated since 2012, under the rule of a transitional government backed by its all-powerful military. | The west African nation has stagnated since 2012, under the rule of a transitional government backed by its all-powerful military. |
| With few resources other than cashew nuts and fish, South American drug cartels have turned the country into a cocaine trafficking hub. | With few resources other than cashew nuts and fish, South American drug cartels have turned the country into a cocaine trafficking hub. |
| The money that generates has corrupted many of the country's public institutions, particularly its armed forces. | |
| A year ago, the US charged 2012 coup leader Antonio Indjai with drug trafficking and seeking to sell surface-to-air missiles to Colombia's FARC rebels, to shoot down US patrol helicopters. He has not been extradited. | A year ago, the US charged 2012 coup leader Antonio Indjai with drug trafficking and seeking to sell surface-to-air missiles to Colombia's FARC rebels, to shoot down US patrol helicopters. He has not been extradited. |
| Polling will be monitored by 550 international observers and a presidential runoff is scheduled for 18 May if no candidate emerges as the clear winner. | Polling will be monitored by 550 international observers and a presidential runoff is scheduled for 18 May if no candidate emerges as the clear winner. |
| The country is ranked 177th out of 187 in the UN's human development index, with two-thirds of the population living below the poverty line. | The country is ranked 177th out of 187 in the UN's human development index, with two-thirds of the population living below the poverty line. |