Guinea-Bissau’s opposition threatens to paralyze the country over a dispute regarding President Embalo’s term expiration, claiming it ends on February 27, while the Supreme Court disagrees. Elections have been postponed to November 30, raising tensions in a politically volatile environment. The opposition coalition pledges disruptive actions, and ECOWAS plans to intervene but faces refusal from the opposition to engage.
Guinea-Bissau’s political climate is tense as opposition parties have threatened to bring the country to a halt following a disagreement over President Umaro Sissoco Embalo’s term expiration. Opposition leaders assert that Embalo’s term ends on February 27, whereas the Supreme Court has stated it lasts until September 4. Embalo recently announced that elections will be postponed to November 30, escalating tensions surrounding the electoral timeline and risking civil unrest in a country with a troubled history of military coups.
The opposition coalition, which includes the former ruling PAIGC party, has vowed actions that will render Bissau a “dead city” on the planned day of disruption. Concurrently, parliamentary elections slated for November 2024 have been indefinitely delayed by the government, citing technical and financial issues that complicate the electoral schedule. Embalo, who previously faced coup attempts during his presidency, dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament in response to unrest following a violent coup attempt in December 2023.
While Embalo discussed the political situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, he revealed that his wife had previously discouraged him from seeking a second presidential term. Meanwhile, ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, plans to deploy a mission to Guinea-Bissau aimed at mediating the electoral disputes but encountered resistance from the opposition, which has accused them of bias and refused to meet with ECOWAS representatives during their recent visit.
The opposition’s decision to mobilize against President Embalo illustrates severe political divisions in Guinea-Bissau, exacerbated by election delays. The situation remains precarious, marked by a history of coups and civil unrest. With external mediation from ECOWAS on the horizon, the potential for reconciliation and stabilization remains uncertain as the government and opposition clash over political legitimacy and electoral timing.
Original Source: www.usnews.com
