‘The General’ wins presidency in one of Africa’s most volatile states
- Umaro Cissoko Embalo, who was prime minister from 2016 to 2018, won the run-off vote against another former premier, Domingos Simoes Pereira
- Guinea Bissau has seen 16 coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974
Former prime minister and ex-army general Umaro Cissoko Embalo has won Guinea-Bissau’s presidential vote, the electoral commission said, but his opponent complained of fraud and vowed to contest the result in court.
Embalo, 47, won with 54 per cent of Sunday’s vote, the commission said, versus 46 per cent for another ex-prime minister and ruling party candidate Domingos Simoes Pereira in the poll to succeed incumbent President Jose Mario Vaz.
Vaz’s tenure was marred by political infighting, an ill-functioning parliament and corruption.
If Pereira’s challenge fails, Embalo, who served as prime minister under Vaz from 2016-18, faces the difficult task of overcoming a long-running political impasse and modernising the West African nation of 1.6 million people.
Guinea Bissau has seen 16 coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974. Four succeeded.
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Embalo is nicknamed “The General”, a reference to his rank as a reserve brigadier general. He quit the army in the 1990s.
“I call for union, reconciliation and concord for a peaceful life in Guinea Bissau,” Embalo told a press conference on Wednesday.
“We must believe in ourselves and put ourselves to work to create wealth and develop the country.”
However, Pereira’s complaint looks set to extend the political chaos that has dogged the tiny ocean-side country in recent years and made voters weary of the political class.
The 56-year-old, who easily won a November first round, told supporters that in some polling stations votes surpassed the number of enrolled voters and he would file a complaint to the Supreme Court.
“There has been an infringement of the electoral truth and the most legitimate rights of the people of Guinea Bissau,” he said.
Embalo’s candidacy gained support from the main contenders who failed to reach the run-off, including Vaz, who was the first democratically elected president to complete a full term without being deposed or assassinated since the country’s independence.
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The announcement of his victory sparked celebrations in the capital Bissau, which has remained calm and optimistic during an election many hoped would draw a line under weeks of turmoil including violent protests, an alleged coup attempt and the emergence of two competing prime ministers.
The next president also faces widespread poverty and an unstable political system in which the majority party appoints the government but the president can dismiss it.
There have been seven prime ministers since Vaz took over in 2014 and instability has hurt the economy.
The tropical West African nation with a population of about 1.8 million is rich in phosphates, granite, clay and bauxite, and is mainly known for its wildlife and pristine nature reserves.
Latin American drug runners have exploited the instability and poverty to make the country a hub along the cocaine-smuggling route to Europe.
It also has a notorious image for corruption. It was placed 172nd out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2018 index for perceived levels of corruption.
After the last coup, in 2012, the regional bloc ECOWAS sent a stabilisation force comprising more than 700 troops and police.
Armed forces chief General Biague Na Ntam repeatedly declared during the latest election campaign that the military would not intervene.
Reuters, Agence France-Presse and DPA
