Voters in Guinea-Bissau went to the polls on Sunday for the second round of voting in a presidential election to determine a successor to President João Bernardo Vieira, who was assassinated with his military chief of staff, General Tagme Na Waie, in March.

A second round of voting became necessary after the first round failed to produce a clear winner.

Sunday’s round pitched head-to-head the two candidates who won the most votes in the first round: Malam Bacai Sanha of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIG), and Kumba Yala of the New Socialist Party. Both candidates have previously occupied the office of head of state.

Voting, which began at 7am local time, continued until 5pm without any major incidents. A total of 594,000 registered voters went to the polls in a calm and serene atmosphere, reports Le Potentiel of Kinshasa.

The newspaper also says it is hoped that the election will at last bring some peace and stability to this troubled country, as indicated by the interim president, Raimundo Pereira, after casting his ballot. "This is an important election,” he said, “as it will direct the country towards normalization.

“It is an important step that will permit us to work together and establish some legitimate institutions. I hope this will be the end of the violence that has destabilized this poor West African country for some time now."

The elections took place under the watchful eyes of more than 100 international observers, drawn from the European Union, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union.

This second round was originally slated for August 2 but was brought forward to avoid it coinciding with the harvest season. Most people in Guinea-Bissau are rural farmers.

Report compiled and translated by Michael Tantoh.