Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Cissoko Embalo announced on Thursday, September 12, 2024, that he will not seek a second term in the upcoming November elections.
Embalo, 51, who was elected in January 2020 after defeating Domingos Simoes Pereira with 54% of the vote, would have been eligible for re-election.
His unexpected decision may create a power vacuum and increase political instability in the country, which has a history of coups and unrest since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
During a council of ministers meeting, Embalo revealed that his wife had persuaded him not to run for office again.
However, he hinted that his successor would not be Pereira or opposition figures Braima Camara and Nuno Gomes Na Bian, without providing further details.
Embalo, a former army general and prime minister, took office during a period of political gridlock.
He claims to have faced two coup attempts, the latest in December 2023.
In response, he dissolved parliament twice during his presidency.
After the first dissolution in May 2022, legislative elections halted his efforts to pass a constitutional amendment to eliminate the country’s semi-presidential system, which often leads to political deadlock.
Guinea-Bissau, which became a key hub for cocaine trafficking in the 2000s, has continued to face challenges with drug smuggling.
Recently, authorities seized 2.63 tons of cocaine from a plane arriving from Venezuela.
