BISSAU, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Guinea-Bissau on Sunday launched its presidential and legislative elections, with more than 960,000 registered voters set to choose a new head of state and 102 members of the National People's Assembly.

According to the National Electoral Commission, a total of 3,728 polling stations have been set up nationwide to accommodate 966,152 registered voters. Polling began at 7:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) and is scheduled to close at 5:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT).

Among the 11 presidential candidates, incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and independent candidate Fernando Dias da Costa are seen as strong contenders.

Embalo, 53, served as Guinea-Bissau's prime minister from November 2016 to January 2018 and has been president since February 2020.

Under the country's constitution, the presidential term is five years with the possibility of one re-election.

The president is elected through a two-round nationwide vote. If no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the ballots in the first round, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff, which, if required, is expected to be held within two weeks of the announcement of the first-round results. ■