Voting closes in Guinea-Bissau
Elections seen as crucial step in rebuilding West African nation that has become drugs hub.
Published On 17 Nov 2008
The PRID is headed by Aristides Gomes, a very close ally of Joao Bernardo Vieira, who was ousted from the PAIGC and won the 2005 presidential elections as an independent candidate.
The international community sees these parliamentary elections as a crucial step in rebuilding the country a decade since it was wracked by an 11-month civil war in 1998-9.
The former Portuguese colony has been plagued by bloody coups and uprisings.
Recently the country, ranked as one of the world’s poorest nations, has become a transit point for Latin American drugs destined for Europe.
Source: News Agencies