Guinea-Bissau: Incumbent, main challenger both claim victory in presidential race

The two leading candidates in Guinea-Bissau's presidential have declared victory even as the country awaits official results.

The camp of Fernando Dias, seen as the main challenger to President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was the first to claim victory.

Embalo's agents later said their candidate had won more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. Official results were expected later on Tuesday, according to local media.

The competing claims could upset the political climate in the small West African country that is prone to army takeovers of power.

Dias has obtained the backing of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), and former Prime Minister Dominos Simoes Pereira whose own presidential bid was rejected on a technicality.

If he secures a second term, Embalo will become Guinea's first leader to achieve the feat in three decades.

The vote is seen one of the most contentious in recent history because of the exclusion of the main opposition party.