Ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo says he plans to return to Guinea-Bissau and contest the presidential election scheduled for December 6, 2026, nearly a year after he was removed in a military coup. Embalo told the new he would be a candidate in the election, while a source close to him later told Reuters that he plans to return on October 4. Embalo has remained outside the country since the November 2025 coup. The military seized power on November 26, 2025, one day before provisional results from presidential and legislative elections were expected. The electoral process was suspended and Major-General Horta Inta-a was installed as transitional president. The military authorities subsequently set December 6 for new presidential and legislative elections.
The coup authorities said they had acted after identifying what they described as a destabilization plot involving drug traffickers. However, the circumstances surrounding the takeover have remained contested. Some observers alleged that Embalo himself may have sought to halt an election he appeared to be losing, a claim he has not acknowledged. Horta N’Tam has said Embalo is free to return if he wishes. Political analyst Malam Cissé in an interview said there was no legal obstacle to his return, while history professor Bassirou Sadio said candidates should be allowed to participate if they meet the applicable legal requirements.
Embalo’s candidacy could face a new constitutional question. Guinea-Bissau approved a new constitution in an August referendum that expanded presidential powers and introduced a requirement for presidential candidates to have lived continuously in the country for five years. It remains unclear how that provision could affect Embalo, who has been abroad since the coup. The new constitution also gives the president greater authority over the government and reduces parliament from 102 to 65 seats. The opposition PAIGC boycotted the referendum, arguing that the process lacked adequate institutional safeguards. Guinea-Bissau has experienced repeated military interventions since independence from Portugal in 1974. The December elections are intended to mark a return to civilian government after the latest coup.
