The outcome of Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election remains uncertain after the electoral commission announced Tuesday that it could not certify results from the disputed November 23 vote. Armed men reportedly stormed the commission’s offices, seizing ballot papers and tally sheets, and destroying servers that contained the vote data.
Officials said the break-in occurred on November 26, just one day before the commission was due to release the official results.
Both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa have since claimed victory.
Events escalated quickly as the military seized power on the same day, a move Embaló denounced as a coup. Soldiers installed former army chief of staff General Horta Inta-a as head of state, and he was sworn in the following day.
Over the weekend, Inta-a unveiled a new 28-member cabinet, dominated by figures aligned with the ousted president. The administration is expected to oversee a one-year transitional period.
Embaló fled first to Senegal and later traveled on to Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, Nigeria confirmed that President Bola Tinubu had granted protection to da Costa amid fears of threats to his safety.
International leaders and Guinea-Bissau’s opposition have accused Embaló and his allies within the military of orchestrating the takeover to block a potential electoral defeat.
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