Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election plunged into uncertainty as Fernando Dias and President Umaro Sissoco Embalo both claimed victory. Dias, the opposition frontrunner, declared at his campaign headquarters that he had won the presidency, insisting no runoff would be necessary.
“My people were very tired and they need change at the top of the state,” Dias told cheering supporters in Bissau.
Embalo’s camp, however, rejected the assertion, with spokesperson Oscar Barbosa insisting the incumbent had secured victory and a second round was unnecessary.
“We urge our opponents to refrain from announcing any results that could call into question the electoral process,” Barbosa warned at a press conference.
The electoral stalemate risks intensifying tensions in the coup-prone nation, where political instability has long shadowed governance and national unity. Dias, 47, strengthened his candidacy after receiving support from former prime minister Domingos Simoes Pereira and the historically dominant PAIGC party.
Embalo, 53, a former army general, seeks to become the first sitting president in three decades to secure reelection successfully. Analysts had predicted a tight race, reflecting a deeply divided electorate and the country’s volatile political climate.
Voter turnout exceeded 65% on Sunday, with the national electoral commission expected to release provisional results on Thursday, according to its spokesperson. The commission had not immediately responded to the conflicting claims, leaving citizens and observers anxiously awaiting clarity on the election’s outcome.
