Nation Holds First Vote for President Since Coup
The West African nation of Guinea-Bissau held its first presidential election since a bloodless 2003 coup, a vote many hope will restore democracy and jump-start development in a war-ravaged country that is also one of the world’s poorest.
Three former heads of state were among 13 candidates vying for the nation’s top post -- including ex-President Koumba Yala, the man the military ousted two years ago.
The next president faces a moribund economy based largely on cashew-nut production, with risk-wary foreign investors largely shunning the coup-prone, ex-Portuguese colony of 1.4 million.
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