Guinea-Bissau Political Crisis Deepens as Opposition Leader Rejects President’s Legitimacy

Guinea-Bissau Political Crisis Deepens as Opposition Leader Rejects President’s Legitimacy

President of the dissolved National People’s Assembly, Domingos Simões Pereira, has challenged the legitimacy of outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, asserting that his term officially ended on February 27, 2025.

Pereira insists that in the absence of a newly elected leader, the country’s governance should be entrusted to the president of the National Assembly until elections scheduled for November 30, 2025.

In a statement shared on social media, Pereira urged the Standing Committee of the National People’s Assembly to take the lead in overseeing the transition. His remarks come despite Embaló dissolving the Assembly in December 2023 and setting general elections for late 2025.

Meanwhile, Embaló, who had previously ruled out seeking another term, has now declared his candidacy. His government recently expelled a joint ECOWAS-UNOWAS mission from the country before it could present a crisis-resolution proposal.

The political landscape in Guinea-Bissau remains highly volatile, with ongoing institutional conflicts and growing uncertainty surrounding the transition process.

Source: WAVN