France, July 19 -- Outgoing President Carlos Vila Nova will face party rival Nito Viegas D'Abreu, a current member of parliament backed by former prime minister Patrice Trovoada, along with two independent candidates.

A former Portuguese colony in the Gulf of Guinea, the island nation of 200,000 inhabitants has a history marked by attempted coups including one in 2022 that was promptly thwarted by the military.

The president has a largely ceremonial role, responsible for representation and the promulgation of laws, while most executive powers lie with the prime minister.

Vila Nova, 66, elected president in 2021 with his Independent Democratic Action (ADI) party's support, is casting himself as the guarantor of the "political stability ...