Guinea Bissau President Umaro Cissoko Embalo Declines Second Term

Guinea Bissau President Umaro Cissoko Embalo announced he would not seek a second term in the upcoming November elections. His surprise decision may lead to political instability in the coup-prone nation. Embalo, who has faced multiple coup attempts, cited his wife's advice as a reason for stepping down.

Guinea Bissau's President Umaro Cissoko Embalo announced on Thursday that he would not run for a second term in the November elections. The 51-year-old president's decision was unexpected and could lead to a power vacuum and political instability in the country, which has a history of coups.

Embalo was elected in January 2020, succeeding Jose Mario Vaz, and defeated his main rival, Domingos Simoes Pereira, with 54% of the vote. He revealed that his wife had dissuaded him from running again. Embalo, an ex-army general, did not name his successor but ruled out Pereira and opposition politicians Braima Camara and Nuno Gomes Na Bian.

Embalo inherited political turmoil and has survived two coup attempts during his presidency. He dissolved parliament twice, with the latest dissolution occurring in December 2023. The legislative elections in May 2022 foiled his constitutional changes aimed at consolidating power. The country remains vulnerable, highlighted by its emergence as a cocaine trafficking hub in the 2000s, with police recently seizing 2.63 tons of cocaine from an aircraft arriving from Venezuela.

(With inputs from agencies.)