Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election kicked off Sunday morning with an expectation of thousands of voters turning out during a 10-hours vote period to elect a new president after the death of President Malam Bacai Sanha in January due to a long illness.According to its National Electoral Commission, about 2,686 polls in 27 polling stations were opened in the west African nation’s seven provinces for voters from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time (0700 to 1700 GMT) to cast their votes. There were about 509,000 registered voters in Guinea- Bissau, according to the commission. The military and paramilitary voted on March 15 due to their duty of maintenance of order on March 18.Nine candidates are vying for presidency, including two top favorites, former President Kumba Yala, who was overthrown in a coup in 2003, and former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior. The tally of votes will start immediately after the 10-hour process. Currently, Raimundo Pereira, the speaker of the Parliament, has served in an interim capacity since Jan. 9 following the death of President Malam Bacai Sanha in Paris where he was receiving medical treatment for a long illness since November last year.