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Guinea-Bissau Sets Nov. 23 Vote With Embalo Favored After Opposition Barred

The ballot excludes the PAIGC after a Supreme Court ruling, stoking concerns about the process.

Guinea Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Supporters of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo show a red keffiyeh bearing his image during a political rally in Bissau on November 11, 2025
Since coming to power, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo claims to have been the target of several coup attempts
Umaro Sissoco Embalo Embalo, 53, in favoured to win the election in the first round despite a term marked by more political instability

Overview

  • Roughly 860,000 registered voters will choose among 12 presidential contenders and elect 102 members of parliament after the legislature was dissolved in December 2023.
  • The Supreme Court disqualified Domingos Simoes Pereira and the PAIGC for late filings, and opposition figures allege manipulation of the electoral process.
  • President Umaro Sissoco Embalo is widely viewed as the frontrunner for a second term, according to current reporting.
  • More than 6,780 security personnel, including units from the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force, have been deployed for the vote and the post-election period.
  • Key challengers include former president Jose Mario Vaz and Fernando Dias, who has support from PAIGC and Pereira, as the campaign unfolds alongside reported coup plots and a resurgent cocaine transit trade highlighted by a 2.63-ton seizure in 2024.