Overview
- Officers announced a "High Command for the Restoration of Order" had taken charge, suspending the entire electoral process, closing all borders, and imposing a curfew.
- Gunfire was heard near the presidential palace as soldiers, including members of the presidential guard and an elite gendarmerie unit, secured the main avenue leading to the compound.
- The status of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló remained unclear, with Jeune Afrique reporting he was detained along with senior security officials and Embaló saying no violence was used, a claim not independently confirmed.
- Provisional results had been expected Thursday with subsequent Supreme Court validation, and both Embaló’s camp and opposition candidate Fernando Dias de Costa had already claimed victory.
- The national election commission reported an attack by unidentified gunmen on its premises as the country awaited results.