Guinea-Bissau has announced that presidential and legislative elections will be held on December 6, 2026, following last year’s military coup that derailed the country’s electoral process.
The election date was confirmed through a presidential decree signed on Wednesday by transitional authorities.
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The West African nation was plunged into political turmoil late last year when soldiers intervened on the eve of the announcement of results from a disputed election. The group, identifying itself as the Military High Command, removed then-president Umaro Sissoco Embalo from office and installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as interim president the following day.
The takeover drew sharp criticism from the Economic Community of West African States, which urged the military to restore constitutional order and allow the electoral process to continue.
However, Guinea-Bissau’s electoral commission later said it was unable to finalise the election after armed men seized ballot materials and destroyed computer servers used to store voting results.
Since assuming power, the transitional leadership has pledged to return the country to civilian rule, with the December 2026 polls now expected to reset Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process after months of political uncertainty.
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