The West African nation of Guinea-Bissau held its first presidential elections Sunday 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 Kumba Yala, the man the military ousted two years ago, and two other former heads of state. The poll marks the nation's first presidential ballot since the military ousted democratically elected Yala in a September 2003 coup, replacing him with interim leader Henrique Rosa, who's not running.
The next president faces a moribund economy based largely on cashew-nut production, with risk-wary foreign investors largely shunning the tiny coup-prone, ex-Portuguese colony of 1.4 million. Decades of instability have left Guinea-Bissau one the world's 10 least-developed countries, according the United Nations, with 80 percent of the population living on less than $2 per day.
| Another West African success story. G-B at one time had a little commie revolution going, led by a guy with the nom-de-guerre of Dick Daring. I have no idea whatever happened to him, because it's hard to maintain an interest in that kind of place. It looks like they've taken the traditional path of oligarchy and coup d'etat. But that's okay. We should give them money, because their own ineptitude at running even a small country is somehow our fault. |
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