Guinea Bissau goes to polls with president seeking a second term in office

People voted on Sunday in Guinea Bissau’s presidential and legislative elections with incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo seeking a second term.

The polls come at a critical time in West Africa where democracy has recently been challenged by several disputed polls.

Embalo is facing off against 11 other presidential candidates, including Fernando Dias a relative political newcomer.

He is backed by former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira who is leader of the main opposition party that led the fight for independence from Portugal.

Both Pereira and his African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) party were barred from taking part in the polls after the authorities said they failed to submit their application on time.

Analysts say they are expecting the election to be a close race between Embalo and Dias with the winner needing more than 50 per cent of the votes to win outright.

The president, a former army general who first came to power in 2021, is backed by a political coalition of more than 20 groups.

Embalo has vowed to bring stability, build more roads, and expand water access if given a second term.

Dias has also promised to improve basic services, and says he will promote reconciliation and keep the military out of politics.

Guinea Bissau has endured multiple coups and the exclusion of the main opposition, plus rivalry between military factions have raised fears about a potential post-poll crisis.

If Embalo were to be victorious, he will become the first leader in three decades to make it through to a second consecutive term in the West African nation.

Some 900,000 voters are registered to vote for the new head of state and 102 members of the National People’s Assembly.

Polling stations close at 1700 GMT with provisional results expected to be announced within 48 hours.