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Military Coup in Guinea-Bissau Interrupts Electoral Process 

December 3, 2025

Guinea-Bissau's military seized power on November 27, 2025, immediately after ballots were counted in the country's presidential and legislative elections, claiming they were preventing foreign and domestic actors from tampering with results in collaboration with drug traffickers. The military junta appointed General Horta Nta Na Man as transitional president for a one-year period, though many African leaders and international observers are questioning the coup's legitimacy given its suspicious timing. Both presidential candidates had initially claimed victory, but opposition leader Fernando Dias and several prominent African political figures believe former President Umaro Sissoco Embalo fabricated the coup to avoid revealing unfavorable election results.

Who is affected

  • Voters of Guinea-Bissau
  • Former President Umaro Sissoco Embalo (allegedly arrested)
  • Opposition candidate Fernando Dias (claims to have won the election)
  • General Horta Nta Na Man (appointed transitional president)
  • International election observers, including former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (temporarily stuck in the country)
  • ECOWAS (Economic Community of Western African States) member nations
  • African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM)
  • West African Elders Forum

What action is being taken

  • The military junta is exercising control over Guinea-Bissau under the name High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order
  • ECOWAS members visited Guinea-Bissau on December 1 to hold conversations with the forces that seized power
  • ECOWAS and African organizations are calling for the immediate restoration of constitutional order
  • General Horta Nta Na Man is overseeing a transitional period intended to last one year

Why it matters

  • This represents at least the ninth successful or attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau since its independence from Portugal in 1974, threatening to return the nation to a period of severe political instability reminiscent of 2011-2014. The timing of the coup—immediately after ballots were counted but before results could be announced—undermines democratic processes and sets a dangerous precedent that fabricated coups could be used to overturn legitimate election outcomes. The situation tests the effectiveness of regional African organizations like ECOWAS and the African Union in protecting democracy and constitutional order across the continent.

What's next

  • The nation's future will be discussed during the December 14 ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria. Opposition leader Dias has urged election oversight entities to take a clear position and publish the electoral results.

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer