Soldiers patrol near the presidential palace in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, November 21, 2025. REUTERS/Luc Gnago
Source: THE STRAITSTIMES
BISSAU – Guinea-Bissau’s opposition coalition demanded on Thursday that authorities be allowed to release results from Sunday’s presidential election, a day after army officers seized power and suspended the vote count.
The officers, referring to themselves as “The High Military Command for the Restoration of Order”, said in a televised statement on Wednesday that they had ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, in the latest episode of unrest in the coup-prone country.
Provisional results had been expected on Thursday in the race between Embalo and Fernando Dias, a 47-year-old political newcomer who had emerged as Embalo’s top challenger to run the West African state, which is a hub for cocaine trafficking.
“There is no reason to interrupt the democratic process. Dias is demanding that we make these results public,” the coalition backing Dias said in a statement sent to Reuters.
“We hope that the army officers who say they took power will let democracy continue, will let the electoral commission do its work, and respect the constitution. It’s them who are really the guarantors of peace.”
The capital Bissau was mostly quiet on Thursday, with soldiers on the streets and many residents staying indoors even after the overnight curfew lifted. Businesses and banks were closed.