Ex-strongman and successor in Bissau run-off

International observers generally hailed the presidential elections held Sunday in Guinea-Bissau. The main contenders were three former heads of state: ex-military leader Joao Bernardo (Nino) Vieria, who was ousted by the army in 1999; Malam Bacai Sanha, who was interim president following Vieria's departure; and Kumba Yala, who succeeded Sanha after the country's first democratic election but whose increasingly authoritarian regime was ended by the military in 2003.

Official results gave Sanha the most votes, with Vieria edging Yala for the all-important second place and thus a spot in next weekend's run off election. Worryingly, although perhaps not surprisingly Yala's party rejected the results as 'false.'

What interesting is that Sanha is the head of the PAIGC party, which ruled Guinea-Bissau for a quarter century following independence in 1974. Though running as an independent now, Vieria was the long-time head of the PAIGC. He was even responsible for Sanha's rise to parliamentary speaker, which paved the way for Sanha's pseudo-constitutional accession to the presidency after Vieria's ouster.