Braving bursts of tropical rain, Guyanese voted on Monday in the former British colony's fourth election since independence and were expected to reelect free-market advocate President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Polls show that Jagdeo, a 42-year-old Moscow-educated economist who has promised to tackle rising crime rates and continue to deliver improved services, is likely to win a second 5-year term by keeping his party's majority in the 65-member national parliament.
Security was tightened in a country where tensions between the ethnic Indian majority and descendants of Africans have erupted into violence during elections.
Police blocked off access to the GECOM electoral authority building, the site of previous attacks during voting.
Several people were killed and stores were looted in rioting that marred elections in 1992, 1997 and 2001 in the small South American country. "So far everything seems to be going peacefully," Jagdeo told reporters after voting in a suburban schoolhouse. "From what I have heard things seem to going smoothly around the country after some initial glitches."
Election authorities said initial results would be released a few hours after polls closed at 6 pm EDT (2200 GMT) and final tallies could be released by Tuesday.
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