YAOUNDE, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Official results of the presidential elections in Equatorial Guinea are expected on Dec. 7, the electoral commission said after Sunday's vote came to a close.

Voters in Equatorial Guinea cast their ballots under tight security to choose their president among five candidates who include the current head of state Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Some 290,000 voters were asked to come to about 1,300 polling centers which were opened between 7:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) and 6 p.m. (1700 GMT).

In Malabo, the capital of this central African country, security forces were deployed outside the polling centers. The turnout was thought to be low, a witness told Xinhua by telephone.

Under a government order, no one was allowed to move around in a car or drink alcohol in Malabo from 6 p.m. on Saturday to 6 a.m. on Monday.

According to the national electoral commission, the final results will be known on Dec. 7.

Obiang, 67, has been in power since 1979. He is the candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE), which holds 99 out of the 100 seats in parliament. He expressed confidence that he would score even more support than in 2002, when he got 97.1 percent of the votes cast.

The four other candidates are Placido Minko Abogo of the Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS), Carmelo Mba Bacale of the Popular Action for Equatorial Guinea, Achivaldo Montero of the People's Union and Bonaventura Monsuy Asumu of the Coalition of Social democrats Party.

The elections are seen as a race mainly between Obiang and Minko Abogo, although the president is widely expected to win another landslide victory.

Equatorial Guinea covers 28,051 square km with a population of one million. It is made up of two parts: the mainland part which borders Cameroon and Gabon, and islands in the Gulf of Guinea. The capital city Malabo is located in the Bioko Island.

Equatorial Guinea is third oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa with a double digit economic growth recorded for several years.

The mineral rich country attracts big foreign companies such as Exxon Mobil of the United States, E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany, Union Fenosa of Spain and Galp Energia of Portugal.

Other natural resources of the country include natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamond, tantalum and clay.