BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau – The people of Guinea-Bissau are heading to the polls and the question on everyone's mind is whether this tiny West African nation, known as a transit hub for cocaine traffic, will finally find stability through democratic elections.
The presidential and parliamentary vote opened Sunday almost exactly two years to the day after the last coup, which short-circuited elections between two rounds of voting. The 2012 putsch hardly came as a surprise in the former Portuguese colony: No leader in Guinea Bissau's 40 years of independence has finished his time in office.
But with these elections many in Guinea-Bissau are hoping the country will achieve stability. Voters flocked to polling stations across the country early in the day. Polls close at 1700GMT and results are expected within a week.
