Nearly 900,000 voters in Guinea-Bissau were eligible to cast their ballot on Sunday. The prime minister speculated that no party would win an absolute majority in the election.
Voters in the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament.
Nearly 900,000 Bissau-Guineans in the country of 2 million were eligible to cast their vote.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. local time (0700 UTC) and closed at 5 p.m. (1700 UTC).
A fragmented political scene
Guinea-Bissau, which gained independence in 1974 after a bloody war against Portugal, has had 22 prime ministers and three military coups since the advent of multi-party elections in 1994.
The leading party has traditionally been the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which spearheaded the country's liberation struggle almost six decades ago. But it is now in opposition, despite having the largest number of seats.
Breakaway blocs such as the Movement for Democratic Change (Madem-G15) mean the political landscape is more fragmented than ever, with 22 parties competing for votes.
"There will be no winner with an absolute majority in these elections. It is impossible," said Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam.
"No party is ready to govern Guinea-Bissau alone."
What are the key election issues?
A key political debate in Guinea-Bissau is whether to keep the current semi-presidential system, or to change the constitution and move to system where the president is also the head of government.
Under the current system, the largest party or coalition in parliament appoints the government, but the president has the power to dismiss it in certain circumstances, which has led to political deadlocks in the past.
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Madem-G15 dissolved parliament last year and has attracted criticism for appointing his own government officials without oversight.
He advocates for changing the constitution to give himself more powers.
Critics of Embalo say he has cracked down on civic freedoms and curtailed the free press.
The country's economy often hinges on the volatile price of cashew nuts, but a booming drug smuggling trade connecting South America with Europe has also plagued Guinea-Bissau and its political sphere for many years.
International observers monitor vote
Around 200 observers were in Guinea-Bissau to oversee the vote, according to the National Election Commission.
They included an ECOWAS mission led by former Cape Verdean President Jorge Carlos Fonseca, an African Union mission headed by former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, and a mission from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries led by the former Timorese vice-minister of foreign affairs, Alberto Carlos.
Several candidates had complained of difficulties in obtaining the correct accreditation and transport permits to attend polling stations.
The leader of the African Party for Peace and Social Stability, Ulisses Monteiro, told Portugal's Lusa news agency that four candidates were "brutally attacked" by members of a rival party on Sunday.
Fernando Dias, leader of the opposition Party for Social Renewal, has already threatened to protest in the streets in the event of electoral fraud to "defend the democratic truth of the ballot boxes."
(Reuters, Lusa, AFP, AP)
