Guinea-Bissau sets election date following last year’s coup

The West African state is acceptable to clasp legislative and statesmanlike elections connected December 6.

Guinea-Bissau’s subject authorities has acceptable a day for caller elections pursuing the ousting of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo successful a coup precocious past year, according to a connection by the service leader.

“All the conditions for organising free, just and transparent elections person been met,” said a decree work connected Wednesday by Major-General Horta Inta-a.

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Legislative and statesmanlike elections volition beryllium held connected December 6, the connection added.

A coup successful November removed Embalo and inaugurated erstwhile service main of unit Inta-a arsenic the caput of the subject government, tasked with overseeing a one-year modulation period.

A transitional charter published successful aboriginal December bars Inta-a – a adjacent Embalo subordinate –  from moving for election.

The subject claimed that it seized powerfulness arsenic Embalo was seeking a 2nd word successful a presidential election to “avoid a bloodbath betwixt supporters of the rival candidates”.

Guinea-Bissau, 1 of the world’s poorest countries, has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independency from Portugal much than 50 years ago, including a coup effort past October.

The state of 2.2 cardinal radical is known arsenic a hub for cause trafficking betwixt Latin America and Europe, a inclination that experts accidental has fuelled its governmental crises.

The predetermination announcement comes weeks aft a visit to Guinea-Bissau by an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mission, led by Sierra Leonean President and ECOWAS seat Julius Maada Bio and his Senegalese counterpart Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

The 2 leaders held talks with the subject leaders and person called for a short, structured and transparent transition.

They person besides demanded the merchandise of governmental opponents, including absorption person Domingos Simoes Pereira, who were imprisoned connected the time of the coup.

West Africa has seen a wave of coups since 2020, typically with the stated intent of protecting the state against insurgencies oregon fixing atrocious governance.

Military leaders successful adjacent Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso besides took powerfulness by unit connected pledges of providing much information to citizens against extremist equipped groups. In neighbouring Guinea, General Mamady Doumbouya overthrew the president successful 2021 connected a committedness to escaped the state of corruption.