Guinea-Bissau’s President Embalo Announces Re-Election Bid Amidst Tensions
Umaro Sissoco Embalo, President of Guinea-Bissau, has announced his bid for re-election in November. Following his controversial election in 2020, he is facing opposition claims about the legitimacy of his term. After security forces limited a strike from opposition groups, new elections are scheduled for November 30 after prior delays.
Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the President of Guinea-Bissau, announced on Monday his intention to pursue a second term in the upcoming elections, which have been postponed to November due to logistical and financial issues. Upon his return from a state visit to Russia, Embalo asserted, “I will be a candidate, without a doubt, and I am going to win right from the first round.”
Having been inaugurated for a five-year term on February 27, 2020, following a contentious election, Embalo faces claims from opposition groups that his tenure expired last Thursday. In response, opposition factions organized a strike; however, security forces were deployed to Bissau to mitigate the strike’s impact.
Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony with a populace of approximately two million, has faced ongoing political turmoil, marked by several coups since gaining independence in 1974. In December 2023, following violent clashes labeled by Embalo as an attempted coup, he dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament. Although he first set early legislative elections for November 2024, these were postponed indefinitely by presidential decree, with new elections now scheduled for November 30.
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau has declared his candidacy for re-election amid political challenges and opposition claims regarding the expiry of his term. The nation continues to navigate instability, and upcoming elections will be critical in determining its political future. The combination of postponed elections and Embalo’s controversial actions reflects ongoing tensions in Guinea-Bissau’s political landscape.
Original Source: newscentral.africa
