{"id":54409,"date":"2025-11-23T01:09:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T06:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/guinea-bissaus-president-seeks-second-term-in-close-race-marked-by-tensions\/23\/11\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T01:09:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T06:09:08","slug":"guinea-bissaus-president-seeks-second-term-in-close-race-marked-by-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/guinea-bissaus-president-seeks-second-term-in-close-race-marked-by-tensions\/23\/11\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Guinea-Bissau\u2019s president seeks second term in close race marked by tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) \u2014 Guinea-Bissau<\/a> will vote on Sunday in a presidential election marked by political and ethnic tensions with President Umaro Sissoco Embalo seeking a second term that would make him the nation’s first leader elected to successive terms.<\/p>\n

The presidential and parliamentary elections come at a critical time in West Africa where democracy has recently been challenged by disputed elections<\/a> that analysts say could embolden militaries that have forcefully taken power<\/a> in several countries.<\/p>\n

Guinea-Bissau is one of the world\u2019s poorest countries, with half its population of around 2.2 million people considered poor, according to the World Bank. It has emerged as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, and has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago.<\/p>\n

Embalo, a 53-year-old ex-army general first elected in 2021 and backed by a political coalition of more than 20 groups, is being challenged by 11 other candidates.<\/p>\n

Analysts say Sunday’s vote is a close race between Embalo and Fernando Dias da Costa, a little-known 47-year-old backed by former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, the runner-up in the 2019 presidential election.<\/p>\n

Pereira and the main opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, which he leads, were barred from Sunday’s election after authorities said they failed to submit their application early.<\/p>\n

Nearly half the country\u2019s population are registered to vote, and a runoff will be held if no candidate wins more than 50% of votes.<\/p>\n

It is seen as one of the most contentious votes in recent history because of the exclusion of the main opposition party.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe democracy we knew … is no longer the model we are experiencing; we are experiencing a model defined by a single person,\u201d said political analyst Augusto Nansambe.<\/p>\n

Uncertainty clouds the election<\/p>\n

The vote comes at a critical time for the African country which has endured multiple coups, with an attempt reported in October<\/a>. Embal\u00f3 has also faced a legitimacy crisis with the opposition saying his tenure had long expired and that they do not recognize him as president.<\/p>\n

The Guinea-Bissau leader won an election in Nov. 2019, and was sworn in as president in Feb. 2020, but the opposition contested the result and the Supreme Court did not recognize his victory until Sept. 4. The opposition says Embalo\u2019s term should have ended on Feb. 27 of this year, but the Supreme Court ruled it should run until Sept. 4. The vote, however was delayed until November.<\/p>\n

The legislative election is also being held in unusual circumstances. The opposition-dominated parliament has not convened since December 2023, when it was dissolved by Embalo after an attempted coup. The main opposition party won the legislative election in 2023 and in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cAside from questions of who emerges victorious, the ongoing electoral story in Guinea-Bissau will be about how to build and sustain momentum for a stable system of government and institutional guardrails against the abuse of executive power,\u201d the Africa Center for Strategic Studies said in its review.<\/p>\n

Embalo pitches infrastructure while challenger promises stability<\/p>\n

The election campaign was marked by accusations of hate speech, murder and corruption from the different candidates \u2014 a trend that could throw the country into crisis, according to Denise dos Santos Indeque, coordinator of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau.<\/p>\n

Embalo hinged his campaign on infrastructural development including roads construction and the modernization of the country’s main airport.<\/p>\n

Dias, on the other hand, promised to promote stability, freedoms and security. He accused Embalo’s government of \u201csystematic\u201d human rights violations, urging people to \u201cvote for change, for national unity, for reconciliation, for peace, and for an end to the authoritarian regime in Guinea-Bissau.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the capital of Bissau, resident Marinho Insold\u00e9 expressed optimism the election outcome would improve conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that these elections will bring peace and tranquility so that there is no more hunger,\u201d said Insold\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u2014-<\/p>\n

Asadu reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press journalist Caitlin Kelly in Dakar contributed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) — Guinea-Bissau will vote on Sunday in a presidential election marked by political and ethnic tensions with President Umaro