General Horta Nta Na Man was sworn in as the transitional president of Guinea-Bissau on Thursday, an army statement said, one day after army officers announced they had deposed the country's president.

The officers, referring to themselves as "The High Military Command for the Restoration of Order", said in a televised statement on Wednesday that they had ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, in the latest episode of unrest in the coup-prone country.

It came one day before provisional results had been expected to be announced in the race between Embalo and Fernando Dias, a 47-year-old political newcomer who had emerged as Embalo's top challenger to run the West African state, which is a hub for cocaine trafficking.

The capital Bissau was mostly quiet on Thursday, with soldiers on the streets and many residents staying indoors even after the overnight curfew lifted. Businesses and banks were closed.