President Umaro Sissoco Embalo Announces Re-Election Bid Amid Political Tension
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo announced his candidacy for re-election in Guinea-Bissau, despite elections being postponed to November due to logistical issues. He faces claims of an expired term from opposition groups, leading to a limited strike. The country’s political instability continues, with Embalo’s government previously dissolving the opposition-led parliament amidst an alleged coup attempt.
On Monday, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the President of Guinea-Bissau, announced his intention to run for re-election, despite elections being postponed to November due to logistical and financial issues. “I will be a candidate, without a doubt, and I am going to win right from the first round,” Embalo stated during his return from a diplomatic trip to Russia.
Embalo was inaugurated for a five-year term on February 27, 2020, following a disputed election. He faces opposition claims asserting that his term expired last Thursday, which prompted a strike by opposition groups that was largely subdued by security forces in the capital, Bissau.
The nation, a former Portuguese colony with a population of approximately two million, has endured a history of political instability marked by numerous coups since gaining independence in 1974. In December 2023, Embalo dissolved the opposition-led parliament after a violent altercation he labeled as a coup attempt, subsequently postponing the previously scheduled legislative elections indefinitely by presidential decree.
The elections are now set for November 30, having been rescheduled from an earlier date. The ongoing tumult within Guinea-Bissau’s political landscape highlights the challenges faced by the embattled administration amidst assertions of its waning legitimacy and rising opposition sentiments.
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has officially declared his candidacy for a second term as elections approach in Guinea-Bissau. Despite the postponement of the elections and mounting political opposition, Embalo remains confident in his prospects for victory. The situation signifies ongoing political tensions in a nation with a fraught history of instability.
Original Source: newscentral.africa
