Umaro Sissoco Embalo, President of Guinea-Bissau, aims for a second term amid opposition claims of illegitimacy. An ECOWAS delegation departed citing threats. His first term’s legitimacy is disputed, with elections scheduled for November 30, while the opposition plans protests contingent on ECOWAS’s effectiveness.
Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the President of Guinea-Bissau, has declared his intention to run for a second term in the upcoming November elections. This announcement comes amidst opposition claims questioning his legitimacy as the country’s president. Recently, an ECOWAS delegation that sought to mediate the nation’s political instability departed, citing threats of deportation directed at its members.
Since dissolving the opposition-dominated parliament in late 2023, Embalo emphasized his commitment to running for re-election after returning from visits to Russia, Azerbaijan, and Hungary. The constitution allows for a presidential term of five years, which can be renewed once. However, the legitimacy of his first term remains contentious, with opposition figures asserting that it should have concluded earlier this year.
Embalo’s intentions could heighten existing tensions within Guinea-Bissau, a nation marked by political instability and coups since its independence over half a century ago. His initial victory in the election on November 24, 2019, faced significant challenges, and the Supreme Court only recognized his win months later, in September 2020.
While he has organized elections for November 30, the opposition contends that his presidential term should have ceased on February 27 of this year. They have publicly rejected his status, prompting leaders to consider large-scale protests and strikes. Their actions, however, hinge upon the effectiveness of the recent ECOWAS mission.
In the past three years, Embalo claims to have survived two coup attempts, one of which involved violent confrontations between national and presidential guards. He attributed the eventual dissolution of parliament to the alleged ineffectiveness of the opposition during that tumultuous period.
In summary, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo’s announcement to seek a second term has reignited political tensions in Guinea-Bissau. The opposition’s challenges to his legitimacy underline the complexities surrounding his first term amidst a backdrop of potential protests and strikes. The effectiveness of ECOWAS’s intervention remains critical to the evolving political landscape of the nation as it approaches the elections.
Original Source: www.tvcnews.tv
