 | This articlemay be affected by acurrent event. Information in this article may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports may beunreliable. Thelast updates to this articlemay not reflect the most current information. Please feel free toimprove this article (but note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed) or discuss changes on thetalk page.(November 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
← 2019 2029 → | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parliamentary election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
← 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 102 seats in theNational People's Assembly 52 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|---|
Legislature |
Judiciary |
|
General elections were held inGuinea-Bissau on 23 November 2025 to elect the president and members of theNational People's Assembly.[1] There were originally planned to be separate parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections had been scheduled for 24 November 2024 after PresidentUmaro Sissoco Embaló dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament on 4 December 2023 following the2023 Guinea-Bissau coup attempt.[2] However, Embaló postponed the parliamentary elections in early November 2024.[3] Presidential elections had been scheduled for December 2024.[4][5] They were later also postponed and Embaló's term ended on 27 February 2025. However, he remained in power and intends to run for re-election in late 2025. The opposition and civil society have been calling it an "institutional coup".[6]
Following the election, both Embaló andFernando Dias da Costa, who had been endorsed by the main opposition partyPAIGC claimed victory in the presidential vote. However, acoup d'état occurred on 26 November before the release of the official results, resulting in Embaló's arrest and the formation of theHigh Military Command for the Restoration of Order by the country'smilitary.
In 2019, Umaro Sissoco Embaló won thepresidential election runoff vote againstDomingos Simões Pereira, 54% to 46%. Simões Pereira disputed the results.[7] Although neither the supreme court of Guinea-Bissau nor the parliament had given its approval for the official swearing-in ceremony, Embaló organized an alternative swearing-in ceremony in a hotel in Bissau to announce himself as legal president of Guinea-Bissau.[8] Several politicians in Guinea-Bissau, including prime ministerAristides Gomes, accused Embaló of arranging acoup d'état, although outgoing president Vaz stepped down to allow Embaló to take power.[9]
In 2022, Embaló dissolved parliament, leading to an opposition victory in the2023 parliamentary elections.[10] Embaló dissolved parliament again on 4 December 2023, claiming an"attempted coup" had prevented him from returning home fromCOP28 climate conference.[2] In response to the dissolution, parliamentary speakerDomingos Simões Pereira accused the president of carrying out a "constitutional coup d'état."[11] Incumbent president Embaló would go on to fire the prime ministerGeraldo Martins, who was appointed by thePAIGC-ledNational Assembly and instead appointedRui Duarte de Barros by presidential decree.[12]
Embaló, who is eligible to run for a second term,[13] has given contradictory signs about his intentions. In September 2024, after a meeting of the Council of Ministers, he announced that he decided not to run after a conversation with his wife,[14] but in November 2024, he stated his intention to remain as president "for many years", beyond 2030.[15]
On 23 February 2025, Embaló set the date of the presidential and legislative elections on 30 November 2025. At the same time, disputes arose over when his term as president would end, as opposition groups said his term expires on 27 February 2025, while the Supreme Court ruled that it expires on 4 September 2025.[16] On 3 March, Embaló announced that he would run again for president in the election.[17] On 7 March, Embaló moved the date of the elections to the 23 November 2025.[18]
On 7 August 2025, Embaló dismissed Prime Minister Rui Duarte de Barros (a PAIGC member of Parliament) and appointedBraima Camará, a member of theMadem G15, with the explicit mission of organizing the elections. Although Camará had once strongly criticized Embaló and signed an agreement with Domingos Simões Pereira to "save democracy and the rule of law", rumors of his reconciliation with the president had circulated since July 2025.[19]
The president is elected using thetwo-round system.[20] Article 33 of Guinea-Bissau's Electoral Law prohibits the publishing of any opinion polls.[21]
The 102 members of theNational People's Assembly are elected by two methods. 100 byclosed listproportional representation from 27 multi-member constituencies and two from single-member constituencies representing expatriate citizens in Africa and Europe.[22]
Various opposition parties have criticized incumbent president Embaló, accusing him of authoritarianism and wanting to establish a dictatorship.[3] Beyond the outcome of the elections, the broader narrative in Guinea-Bissau in 2024 will revolve around the imperative of establishing and maintaining momentum for a stable system of governance. Central to this narrative will be the efforts to fortify institutional frameworks that serve as guardrails against the abuse of power.[23]
According to observers, the conditions for elections have not been met due to organisational challenges. One major issue is the expiration of the terms of the commission members responsible for overseeing elections. Typically, these members would be appointed by parliament, however, since the parliament has been dissolved, there is no entity in place to facilitate the appointment of new commission members.[12]
On 25 September 2025, the Supreme Court of Guinea-Bissau disqualified the oppositionPai Terra Ranka coalition from contesting the election after it had failed to submit a list of candidates 72 hours before the deadline of candidate registration on 25 September.[24]
On 14 October 2025, the Supreme Court disqualified former Prime Minister and Speaker of theNational People's Assembly,Domingos Simões Pereira, who had returned from a nine-month exile, from running. This made the election the first since independence in which the PAIGC is not represented.[25]
The final list of candidates forPresident of Guinea-Bissau is as follows.[26][27] The positions on the ballot were drawn by the National Elections Commission (CNE) on 21 October.
| Candidate | Supporting Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | José Mário Vaz | National Convergence for Freedom and Development | COLIDE–GB |
| 2 | Mamadú Iaia Djaló | Alliance for the Republic | APR |
| 3 | Herculano Armando Bequinsa | Democratic Renewal Party | PRD |
| 4 | Fernando Dias da Costa[a] | Inclusive Alliance Platform – Terra Ranka[b] | PAI–Terra Ranka |
| 5 | João de Deus Mendes | Guinea-Bissau Workers' Party | PT |
| 6 | Honorio Augusto Lopes | Front of the Struggle for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau | FLING |
| 7 | João Bernardo Vieira | African Party for Freedom and Development of Guinea | PALDG |
| 8 | Gabriel Fernando Indi | United Social Democratic Party | PUSD |
| 9 | Mario da Silva Junior | Civic Organization for Democracy – Renewed Hope | OCD–ER |
| 10 | Baciro Djá | Patriotic Front for National Salvation | FREPASNA |
| 11 | Umaro Sissoco Embaló | Republican Platform "Nô Kumpu Guiné"[c] | PRNKG |
| 12 | Sigá Baptista[d] | Independent | |
The final list of parties taking part in the elections to theNational People's Assembly is as follows.[30] Since the presidential and legislative elections are separate, some parties are participating in one election, but not the other.
| Placement | Party | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Social Democratic Party | PUSD |
| 2 | Patriotic Front for National Salvation | FREPASNA |
| 3 | National Unity Movement for the Development of Guinea-Bissau | MUNDO GB |
| 4 | Party for Solution | PS |
| 5 | Socialist Workers' Party of Guinea-Bissau | PSTGB |
| 6 | Party for Social Renewal | PRS |
| 7 | African Party for Freedom and Development of Guinea | PALDG |
| 8 | Front of the Struggle for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau | FLING |
| 9 | Republican Platform "Nô Kumpu Guiné"[e] | PRNKG |
| 10 | Lanta Cedo Party | PLC |
| 11 | Social Democratic Movement | MSD |
| 12 | Guinea-Bissau Workers' Party | PT |
| 13 | People's Party | PdP |
| 14 | Civic Organization for Democracy – Renewed Hope | OCD–ER |
More than 6,780 security personnel, including units of theECOWAS Stabilisation Force, were deployed to maintain order during and after the election.[31] More than 200 observers monitored the conduct of the election, including representatives ofECOWAS, theAfrican Union and theCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries.[32] On 25 November, the head of the ECOWAS observer mission,Issifu Baba Braimah Kamara, said the election had been conducted peacefully.[33]
Both Embaló andFernando Dias da Costa claimed victory in the presidential election on 24 November, despite official results not having been released yet.[32] On 26 November, gunfire was heard outside the presidential palace inBissau and the National Electoral Commission, with Embaló saying that he had been arrested as part of acoup d'état carried out by the army chief of staff. Themilitary subsequently declared "total control" over the country and established theHigh Military Command for the Restoration of Order.[33][34]
