Voters in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president, hoping to move past the country's persistent political instability, even as the main opposition party was barred from running.
Around 860,000 voters are choosing among 12 presidential candidates, with stability and improved living conditions—health care, education, infrastructure, jobs, and anti-corruption measures—top of the agenda. Nearly 40% of the population lives in extreme poverty, and the country is a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, fueled by its long history of instability.
Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, 53, is favored to win in the first round and could become the first head of state to serve two consecutive terms since the introduction of a multiparty system in 1994. His main opponent is Fernando Dias, supported by the PAIGC party, which was barred from the election after its submissions were deemed late. This marks the first time in Guinea-Bissau's history that PAIGC, the party that led the country to independence in 1974, is absent from a ballot.
PAIGC leader Domingos Simoes Pereira called the exclusion "manipulation," noting that Embalo's term officially expired on February 27, five years after his inauguration. The last presidential election in 2019 led to a four-month post-election crisis as both Embalo and Pereira claimed victory.
Sunday's election also includes votes for all 102 members of parliament. More than 6,780 security forces, including those from ECOWAS, were deployed, with air, land, and sea borders closed for the day. Observers warn that, as in 2019, post-election disputes and allegations of irregularities may arise.
