Gambiaj.com – (BISSAU, Guinea Bissau) – Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the Bissau-Guinean President, has officially declared his candidacy for a second term in the upcoming presidential election set for late November. Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, March 3, Embaló asserted that he would contest the election “without the shadow of a doubt” and expressed confidence in securing victory “from the first round.”

Upon returning to Bissau from a string of official trips, which included stops in Paris and Moscow, President Embaló wasted no time declaring his candidacy.

Embaló also told AFP that ECOWAS caused its hasty departure from their mission to Bissau last week after the organization showed “disregard for the roadmap agreed upon. We have a president, laws, and a constitution in place as well as the Supreme Court. We don’t joke with that.”

Opposition forces had called for nationwide mobilization and a “paralysis” of the country, asserting that Embaló’s mandate had officially expired on February 27, 2024. The opposition maintains that his tenure should have concluded five years after his contested swearing-in on February 27, 2020.

ECOWAS Mediation Efforts and Government Response

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) dispatched mediators to Bissau from February 21 to 28 in an attempt to resolve disputes over the official end of Embaló’s mandate. According to a statement released on Saturday, March 2, by ECOWAS mediators led by Bagudu Hirse, the mission had drafted a proposed roadmap to guide the country toward both legislative and presidential elections.

However, tensions escalated when President Embaló reportedly threatened to expel the ECOWAS delegation, prompting their abrupt departure on March 1.

Embaló has remained defiant, stating he personally ordered the expulsion of the ECOWAS mission order. “Guinea-Bissau is not a banana republic,” Embaló told AFP news.

Electoral Uncertainty and Past Political Turmoil

President Embaló had previously announced on February 23 that both presidential and legislative elections would be held on November 30. This follows his dissolution of the opposition-dominated Parliament in December 2023, just days after an armed confrontation he labeled an attempted coup.

Initially, early legislative elections were scheduled for November 24, 2024, but were postponed indefinitely by presidential decree, with Embaló citing logistical and financial constraints.

Guinea-Bissau has a history of political and military instability, with frequent coups and power struggles since gaining independence in 1974. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether the country can navigate its electoral process without further conflict.