Guinea-Bissau's electoral commission says its unable to finalise election results

The outcome of Guinea-Bissau's latest presidential election remains unresolved. The country's electoral commission said on Tuesday that it is unable to finalise the results of the disputed vote held on 23 November, after armed men broke into its office and stole ballots and vote tallies. 

The intruders also destroyed servers storing the results.

"We are not in material and logistic conditions to follow [through with] the electoral process," said Idrissa Djalo, a senior official of the electoral commission.

The body said the break-in happened on 26 November, a day before it was due to announce the poll’s official results. 

Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa each claimed victory. 

The military seized power the same day, in what Embaló described as a coup.  

Officers installed former army chief of staff General Horta Inta-a at the head of the country. He was officially sworn in a day after the takeover.

Over the weekend, Inta-a appointed a new 28-member government, most of whom are allies of the ousted president. It will oversee a one-year transition period.

Meanwhile, Embaló fled to Senegal before making his way to the Republic of Congo’s capital Brazzaville.

In turn, Nigeria said its President Bola Tinubu had granted protection for da Costa in response to an ”imminent threat to his life.”

Foreign dignitaries and Guinea-Bissau’s opposition have accused Embaló and his supporters in the military of staging the coup to avoid a possible defeat in the presidential election.