In an unusual move, the president of the west
African state of Sao Tome and Principe has
boycotted his own run-off election, handing
victory to his rival.
Manuel Pinto da Costa withdrew from Sunday's
poll, alleging fraud in the first round held on 17
July.
His rival Evaristo Carvalho, a former prime
minister, is now certain to win the race.
He had won the first round with 49.8% of the vote
while Mr Pinto da Costa had taken 24.8%.
Ahead of Sunday's run-off, he had called on his
supporters not to vote, and later reports said
many of them had stayed away.
Mr Pinto da Costa ruled Sao Tome with an iron
fist for the first 15 years after independence from
Portugal in 1975.
He lost the presidency after introducing reforms
in 1990, including multi-party democracy, but in
2011, he was re-elected to office.
Sao Tome and Principe, a former Portuguese
colony, consists of two islands of volcanic origin
and a number of smaller islets lying off the
western coast of Africa.
source : BBC
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