Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo’s camp says he won outright, while his main challenger insists he secured a first-round win
Guinea-Bissau is bracing for a tense wait after both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, claimed to have won Sunday’s presidential election outright, ahead of any official results.
Dias told reporters at his campaign headquarters in the West African country’s capital, Bissau, that his parallel tally showed he had won more than 50% of the vote.
“We have won the presidential race – it is won in the first round. Let me take this moment to congratulate the people of Guinea-Bissau for the massive turnout, which shows they were tired and in need of change,” he said.
The opposition candidate also warned against “attempts at maneuvering” in the electoral process, saying he would not allow any interference in the count.
In response, Embalo’s campaign spokesman, Oscar Barbosa, told a separate press conference that the incumbent had already won and that “there will be no runoff.”
“We urge our opponents to refrain from announcing any results that could call into question the electoral process,” he said.
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The rival claims follow a turbulent electoral season in a country with a long history of coups. Several opposition figures, including Domingos Simoes Pereira of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which led the struggle to free Guinea-Bissau from Portuguese colonial rule in 1974, were barred from running.
The PAIGC has since rallied behind Dias, 47, the candidate of the Party for Social Renewal (PRS).
A second round will take place if none of the presidential candidates wins more than 50% of the vote. According to the national electoral commission, more than 65% of voters turned out on Sunday and provisional results are expected to be announced on Thursday.
Embalo is seeking to become Guinea-Bissau’s first leader in three decades to win re-election. The president has faced several coup attempts during his first term, which began in February 2020. His critics accuse him of bending constitutional rules to stay in power. His mandate became the focus of a bitter row earlier this year, when the opposition said it expired on February 28.
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