ICYMI: Embaló, Dias declare win in Guinea-Bissau as electoral commission delays results

Umaro Embaló, president of Guinea-Bissau, and Fernando Dias, widely regarded as the main contender, have both declared victory in the country’s weekend elections, even though the electoral commission has not yet released official results.

Campaign teams of both politicians had claimed on Monday that their candidate exceeded the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright.

According to Guinea-Bissau’s law, if none of the presidential candidates wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round will take place.

“We have won the presidential race. We will not have (a) runoff. My people were very tired and they need change at the top of the state,” Dias said.

However Oscar Barbosa, a spokesperson for the president’s campaign, told a separate press conference that Embaló was the winner.

“We urge our opponents to refrain from announcing any results that could call into question the electoral process,” he said.

Sunday’s poll saw a turnout of more than 65 percent citizens share votes among 12 candidates.

The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the movement that led the fight against Portuguese colonial rule, was barred from fielding a candidate for the first time.

PAIGC later endorsed 47-year-old Dias, boosting his popularity and campaign.

Embaló, 53, is a former army general who served as prime minister from 2016 to 2018. He is seeking to become Guinea-Bissau’s first president in 30 years to win a second term.

His term of office has, however, come under scrutiny after opposition and judicial authorities argued that he ought to have vacated office in February 2025.

But the president has insisted that his official term began in November 2020 – when legal challenges to his election were resolved.

Barely 24 hours before the start of election campaigns, the Portuguese-speaking West African nation said it successfully thwarted an alleged coup attempt.

In a statement on Wednesday, ECOWAS noted that the buildup to the  elections was marked by multiple security, political and institutional issues.

The bloc’s election observation mission urged Guinea Bissau’s electoral commission to work “diligently and expeditiously to ensure the timely release of the results to avoid any tensions”.

Results are expected to be announced on Thursday.