Guinea Bissau - elections

Results expected this week

Article published on the 2009-06-29 Latest update 2009-06-29 17:17 TU

People line up at a polling station in the capital Bissau
(Credit: Reuters)

Guinea Bissau's presidential elections on Sunday were marked by one of the lowest turnouts ever as election officials began the vote count. Provisional results should be announced by the end of the week, and official results will come out within a week, National Electoral Commission spokesman Orlando Mendes told AFP Monday.

Eleven candidates, including three former presidents, were up on the ballot to replace Joao Bernardo Vieira, who was assassinated by the military in March. His death was apparently in retaliation for the death of army chief General Batista Tagme Na Waie, who died during a bomb attack.

Vieira had ruled the West African country of 1.3 million people for the past 23 years.

Mendes said that the turnout was down to 60 per cent, while an earlier parliamentary election the turnout had been at 82 per cent.

If no candidate wins the majority in this round, runoffs between the two with the most votes will be scheduled for 28 July.