Gambiaj.com – (BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau) – A Supreme Court ruling has barred Guinea-Bissau’s historic African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and its PAI-Terra Ranka coalition from contesting the November 23 general elections, effectively removing one of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s main challengers from the presidential race.
The decision, dated September 23 and seen by Lusa, rejected the candidacy led by Domingos Simões Pereira, head of PAIGC and former president of parliament.
The ruling alleges that the coalition’s application could not be assessed within the legal time frame, as the three-day period allowed to correct irregularities would extend beyond the September 25 deadline for submitting nominations.
“It’s the absurd becoming normal in our country,” Simões Pereira told Lusa, denouncing the decision as an unprecedented move that deprives voters of a key choice in the upcoming polls. He added that he could not believe “threats to prevent the candidacy” were materializing.
The Supreme Court’s decision, signed by six judges, revealed a split among the bench. Three advisory judges, Aimadú Sauané, Átila Djawara Moreira Ferreira, and Pansau Natcharé, dissented, while President of the Court Arafam Mané, João Mendes Pereira, and Carmém Isaura Baptista Lobo voted to reject the candidacy.
The PAI-Terra Ranka coalition, made up of five parties including PAIGC, the Guinean Democratic Movement (MDG), the Democratic Convergence Party (PCD), the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and the Union for Change, won an absolute majority in the June 2023 legislative elections.
However, it was removed from power six months later when President Embaló dissolved the parliament presided over by Simões Pereira and appointed a government loyal to him.
With general, presidential, and legislative elections scheduled for November 23, the exclusion of the coalition marks a dramatic twist in Guinea-Bissau’s volatile political landscape.
Simões Pereira confirmed that the coalition’s legal team will request clarifications from the court on Thursday.
