The West African country of Guinea-Bissau was holding a presidential election Sunday with all of its borders closed, the BBC reported. The former Portuguese colony of 1.6 million people has been without a leader since January, when President Malam Bacai Sanha died. He was elected in 2009 after years of political upheaval, assassinations and violence. There were nine candidates in the leadership race, although the BBC said only four were considered to be in contention. In a bid to avoid violence and voting fraud, the government closed its land borders and also closed air traffic and coastal sea ports, the report said. There were 180 international observers monitoring the voting in the small country that\'s had a strong military influence on government since multiparty government was introduced in 1994, the BBC said.