President Umaro Sissoco Embalo announced on Monday that Guinea-Bissau will hold parliamentary elections on November 24, following the dissolution of the previous parliament amid accusations of an “attempted coup.”
These parliamentary elections will be the second in less than 18 months for the politically unstable nation, which has experienced multiple coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
President Embalo, who took office in 2020, dissolved the opposition-led parliament in December 2023 after alleging a coup attempt. This decision led to violent clashes in the capital, Bissau, on the night of November 30, resulting in two deaths as National Guard members and presidential special forces confronted each other.
The majority coalition, which claimed victory in the June 2023 elections, opposed the dissolution and the call for new elections.
On Sunday, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) urged Guinea-Bissau to expedite the election process during a summit in Nigeria.