Gambiaj-com – (BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau) – Former Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau and leader of the United People’s Assembly–Democratic Party of Guinea-Bissau (APU-PDGB), Nuno Gomes Nabiam, has formally withdrawn his candidacy for both the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for November 23.

The decision was made official through two letters addressed to the President of the Supreme Court of Justice on October 7, 2025. In the first, Nabiam invoked Article 107 of Law No. 10/2013 to withdraw from the presidential contest.

In the second, he announced the withdrawal of APU-PDGB from the legislative race under Article 135 of the same law. Both letters conveyed his “most cordial regards” to the judicial body.

Although Nabiam did not publicly state his reasons, it is widely believed he is now rallying behind President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s bid for re-election, despite having been one of Embaló’s fiercest critics in the past.

Political analyst Bacar Mané described Nabiam’s move as a survival tactic emblematic of Guinea-Bissau’s volatile political landscape, where alliances often shift according to personal interests. He warned that Nabiam’s apparent inconsistency could permanently damage his political career.

Nonetheless, Mané acknowledged that Nabiam’s endorsement may still sway segments of the electorate, given the enduring influence of ethnic and religious dynamics in Guinean politics.

Nabiam, who served as Prime Minister from 2020 to 2023, is no stranger to presidential campaigns. He ran in 2014, advancing to the second round but losing to José Mário Vaz, and again in 2019, finishing third.

His party, the APU-PDGB, had already distanced itself from the Inclusive Patriotic Alliance–Cabaz Garande coalition after failing to secure Nabiam’s nomination as the coalition’s presidential candidate.

With Nabiam stepping aside, attention now turns to how his support for Embaló will reshape Guinea-Bissau’s already fractured political landscape ahead of next month’s crucial elections.