Voting gets underway in Guinea-Bissau amidst controversy and turmoil. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo is seeking re-election, but he faces stiff competition from Fernando Dias da Costa, a relatively unknown candidate backed by former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira.
Guinea-Bissau's presidential election has been marred by the country's history of coups and military takeovers. The government has been plagued by attempts to overthrow Embalo since his inauguration in 2020. The opposition claims that his term should have ended earlier this year, but a Supreme Court ruling delayed the election until November.
The main contest between Embalo and da Costa pits two candidates with vastly different backgrounds against each other. Embalo, a former army general, has promised to modernize the country's infrastructure and improve its airport facilities. However, Guinea-Bissau remains one of the world's poorest countries, with half its population living in poverty.
Only 50% of the votes required for a candidate to win will secure their place as president; otherwise, there will be a run-off election. Nearly half of the country's 2.2 million residents are registered to vote.
Guinea-Bissau's presidential election has been marred by the country's history of coups and military takeovers. The government has been plagued by attempts to overthrow Embalo since his inauguration in 2020. The opposition claims that his term should have ended earlier this year, but a Supreme Court ruling delayed the election until November.
The main contest between Embalo and da Costa pits two candidates with vastly different backgrounds against each other. Embalo, a former army general, has promised to modernize the country's infrastructure and improve its airport facilities. However, Guinea-Bissau remains one of the world's poorest countries, with half its population living in poverty.
Only 50% of the votes required for a candidate to win will secure their place as president; otherwise, there will be a run-off election. Nearly half of the country's 2.2 million residents are registered to vote.
I'm literally keeping my fingers crossed for Guinea-Bissau!!! 
It's crazy how much turmoil this country has been through and yet they're still holding on to hope 
. Fernando Dias da Costa seems like a breath of fresh air, you know? 
His experience with Domingos Simoes Pereira is definitely a plus! 
And Embalo's plans for infrastructure and airport modernization are so exciting! 
But honestly, it's all about the people and their voices being heard 
. Fingers crossed for peace and progress in Guinea-Bissau! 
just looked at the voter turnout stats and it's crazy that only 50% is needed to win! 
think this is gonna make for some intense runoff elections if no one hits the magic number 
also, can't believe how much of a contrast da Costa has from Embalo - modernize infrastructure vs still living in poverty 
GDP growth has been basically zero since '20 btw 1.2% annual growth rate in 2020... and now they're counting on 50% to solve the country's problems? 
. embalo's got some good plans for the airport and infrastructure, but poverty is like, a huge issue over there 
. and da costa's whole thing with pereira's backing is shady 
. anyway, hope whoever wins does better for guinea-bissau 
let's hope the election goes smoothly and they can have a peaceful transfer of power 
and embalo's term has been delayed enough times, i'm starting to think he's more interested in staying power than actual progress 
da costa might be an unknown quantity, but at least he's not a former army general with a reputation for controversy 
hope they get it right this time 
. I'm seeing all this drama around President Embalo's re-election and it's like, what's the big deal? He's promised to modernize Guinea-Bissau and I get that, we've all been there with old infrastructure 
.
I'm thinking, what's going on in Guinea-Bissau is like some other countries in Africa where elections get hijacked by the military or corrupt politicians. 
It's not just about who wins or loses, it's about building institutions that can withstand power struggles and ensure free and fair elections. 
. Da Costa seems like the better bet imo - at least he's not a military dude with a history of coup attempts 
. I mean, can you imagine if we had a president who just promised to fix everything without actually doing it? It sounds like Embalo is trying to sweep under the rug some pretty serious issues 
. And what's up with this run-off election thingy - does that even make sense? 
and better future 
️
. Its not easy when u have coups and military takeovers 
in ur country 
. Embalo vs da Costa is gonna be a tough election 
. Lets keep fingers crossed 
for a peaceful transition and a brighter future for all guineans 
i mean, can't they just get it together already? 
they deserve it!
President Embalo's got some big promises, but the country's been through so much already... it's hard to get excited about any of this.
Fingers crossed this election brings some much-needed change to Guinea-Bissau.
.
And Embalo's infrastructure plans are gonna be super interesting to see how they actually work out 
Domingos Simoes Pereira is like a hero for backing him up, tbh 
Embalo seems like all about infrastructure and stuff but what about the poverty? 
da Costa's got this!