Guinea-Bissau votes in 2nd-round presidential race

KIGALI, Rwanda

Voters in the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau Sunday went to the polls to elect a new president in a runoff vote.

Voters are choosing between Domingos Simoes Pereira from the traditional ruling party and opposition figure Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the two finalists from the first-round election held in November.

The candidates wrapped up campaigning on Friday. Official data shows that of the 761,676 registered voters, 566,473 cast ballots in the first round, representing a 74% turnout.

Pereira, 56, won 40% of the vote in the first-round vote on Nov. 25.

He belongs to the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), with roots in a movement that fought to end Portuguese rule in the country.

Several opposition figures rallied behind Embalo, 47, who emerged second last month with 27.65% of the vote.

Embalo also got the backing of outgoing President Jose Mario Vaz, who won 12.41% of votes in the first round.

He is also counting on support from Nuno Gomes Nabiam, an opposition figure, who scored 13.16% in the first-round vote, and Carlos Domingos Gomes, a former prime minister who garnered about 2%.

Embalo belongs to Madem, an opposition party formed by PAIGC rebels.

Vaz is the first Guinea-Bissau president in 25 years to have finished his term without being ousted in a military coup.

During campaigning, Pereira said he was "capable of getting along with" Embalo and the 10 other candidates who did not make it to the second round.

Both Pereira and Embalo are former prime ministers. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1973, Guinea-Bissau has witnessed multiple coup attempts, four of them successful.