Guinea-Bissau: Incumbent, Main Challenger Claim Victory in Presidential Race

The two frontline candidates in Guinea-Bissau’s presidential poll, incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition contender Fernando Dias, have each declared victory ahead of the official announcement of results.

Both campaigns said on Monday that their candidate had crossed the 50 per cent mark required to win outright and avoid a second round.

Dias told supporters in Bissau that his camp had secured a first-round win, saying voters were tired and ready for change. Hours later, Embaló’s spokesperson, Oscar Barbosa, insisted the president had also won without a run-off and urged rivals not to make declarations that could undermine the electoral process.

No Comment, No Winner Announced By Electoral Body

The National Electoral Commission did not comment on the conflicting claims. It is expected to release provisional results on Thursday.

Twelve candidates contested Sunday’s election, which recorded a turnout of more than 65 percent.

The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) was barred from fielding a candidate for the first time. The party endorsed Dias, a move that strengthened his bid after PAIGC leader and former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira also backed him. Dias, 47, ran under the Party for Social Renewal.

Embaló, 53, a former army general who served as prime minister between 2016 and 2018, is seeking to become the first leader in three decades to win a second term.

Opposition groups say Embaló’s mandate should have ended earlier in the year. The Supreme Court ruled that his tenure runs until early September, but the election was postponed to November.

Embaló dissolved the opposition-dominated parliament after the 2019 and 2023 legislative elections and has not allowed it to convene since December 2023.

Guinea-Bissau, which has experienced repeated coups and attempted coups since independence more than 50 years ago, remains among the world’s poorest nations, with about half its population living in poverty, according to the World Bank.

More than 200 international observers monitored the vote, including representatives from ECOWAS, the African Union and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries.

Source: Jazeera