Campaigns for Guinea-Bissau’s presidential and parliamentary elections began on Saturday, just a day after the military announced it had foiled an attempt to destabilize the government. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo launched his campaign with a massive rally in the capital, Bissau, as the country moves toward its November 23 vote under tense political conditions.
Embalo, seeking another term in office, was the only one among twelve presidential hopefuls to begin campaigning on the first official day of the three-week period. Thousands of his supporters filled the streets, wearing T-shirts printed with his portrait and donning red and white keffiyehs — the same trademark headgear often worn by the president himself.
His strongest rival, Domingos Simoes Pereira, leader of the PAIGC party and the Pai Terra Ranka coalition, will not be contesting the election after being disqualified along with his political groups. Despite the setback, Pereira has thrown his weight behind independent candidate Fernando Dias, signing an agreement pledging the full backing of the PAIGC for Dias in the first round of voting.
The campaign kickoff came barely twenty-four hours after the army announced it had thwarted an “attempt to subvert the constitutional order.” Several senior military officers were arrested in what officials described as a plot intended to disrupt the electoral process. General Mamadu Ture, the deputy chief of staff, confirmed the arrests at a press briefing, naming Brigadier General Daba Nawalna, head of a military training center near the capital, as one of the alleged masterminds.
Guinea-Bissau has endured a long and troubled political history since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, having suffered four coups — the last of which took place in 2012. However, since the 2014 presidential elections, the country has made efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and uphold the rule of law.
At his rally in Bissau, Embalo addressed the alleged coup attempt, assuring supporters that justice would take its course. “Justice will be for everyone in this country, and no one will be above it,” he declared to loud applause. In a show of confidence, he lifted his shirt to reveal that neither he nor his prime minister were wearing bulletproof vests, telling the crowd that they had chosen to face the people without fear.
Embalo’s campaign is backed by the No Kumpu Guine platform, a coalition of 19 political parties united behind his candidacy. Among his prominent supporters is former prime minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam, who attended the rally wearing the same red and white keffiyeh. “With President Embalo, we are sure stability will be maintained,” Nabiam told Zoyols Blog. Felix Nandungue, leader of the Social Renewal Party and a member of the coalition, expressed optimism that Embalo would secure victory in the first round.
For the first time in Guinea-Bissau’s history, the PAIGC — the party that led the country to independence — will not appear on the ballot. The Supreme Court struck out the names of PAIGC, the Pai Terra Ranka coalition, and Pereira after ruling that their official applications were submitted past the deadline.
Observers say the disqualification of Pereira and his party has greatly improved Embalo’s chances of an early victory. Fourteen parties, including those under the No Kumpu Guine alliance, are now set to contest the 102 parliamentary seats in what is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched elections in Guinea-Bissau’s recent history.
