By Paul Ejime
The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to Guinea-Bissau, headed by Ambassador Baba Kamara, has met with candidates for the 23rd November presidential election, including incumbent President Umaro Sissoko Embalo and representatives of opposition candidate, Fernando Dias, who all pledged to support a peaceful electoral process.
During an audience with Ambassador Kamara and his team at the State House on Friday, 21st November, President Embalo, who is seeking re-election for a second term, promised to respect the outcome of the polls.
Geraldo Martins, a representative of candidate Dias, who is supported by a faction of the Party for Social Renewal, PRS, made a similar commitment during a separate meeting with the ECOWAS Observation Mission, with the Head of Mission appealing for peaceful and orderly elections.
Ambassador Kamara said the deployment of the election observers was in line with ECOWAS’ strong determination and commitment to accompany the people of Guinea-Bissau on the path to good governance, national progress and development.
It is the first time that the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, PAIGC, which fought for Guinea-Bissau’s independence in 1973, will not field candidates in the country’s elections.
After its exclusion from the parliamentary and presidential races by the Supreme Court, acting as the Constitutional Court, the PAI-Terra Ranka Coalition, which includes the PAIGC, and which won an absolute majority of 54 out of 102 seats in the 2023 Parliamentary elections, urged its supporters to vote for Dias in Sunday’s presidential contest.
Former President José Mário Vaz, supported by Coalition COLIDE-GB, is also a candidate in the presidential race, involving 12 candidates.
Ambassador Kamara appealed to all candidates in the legislative and presidential elections, and their supporters, to demonstrate a high level of patriotism, political tolerance, and to eschew violence. They should also work with their compatriots to consolidate democracy in the country and the region.
He was accompanied in the political stakeholder consultations by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Ngozi Ukaeje, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau, Ambassador Baba Jamal Ahmed, representing the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) to ECOWAS, and Mamadou Serigne Ka, the acting Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division.
Ambassador Kamara has also enjoined ECOWAS election Observers to discharge their mandate with integrity and without bias.
At the pre-deployment briefing of the Observers, the Head of Mission requested the observance of a minute’s silence in honour of Amilcar Cabral, a key figure in Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde’s independence struggle.
Echoing Ambassador Kamara’s sentiments, Commissioner Musah, who is leading the ECOWAS Commission’s team providing technical support to the Observation Mission, reminded the observers that, unlike most West African countries, Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde fought for their independence against Portuguese colonialists.
He urged the observers to respect the ECOWAS principles of neutrality and professionalism in their mission.
ECOWAS has deployed 15 Medium- and 120 Short-Term Observers to Guinea-Bissau’s eight regions, subdivided into 37 Sectors, including Bissau, the nation’s capital, for the legislative and presidential elections.
It also has a peace Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau, ESSMG.
The 966,152 voters registered by the National Electoral Commission, CNE, from an estimated population of 2,2 million will cast their ballots in 3,728 polling stations nationwide and in the Diaspora.
Ambassador Kamara, Head, ECOWAS Election Observation Mission with Geraldo Martins, Rep. of Opposion leader Fernando Dias
Security agents and individuals who will be on election duty cast their ballots on 20th November, while campaigns ended at midnight on 21st November, even as the country battles the challenges of political fragility, from perennial disputes over the roles of the President, Prime Minister and the suspended Parliament under a semi-presidential system.
The CNE has between seven and ten days to declare the final official results of the vote. A candidate requires 50%+1 vote to win; otherwise, the two front-runners will square up in a run-off election after three weeks of the first round of balloting.
ECOWAS is expected to issue its Preliminary Declaration on the conduct of the 23rd November elections after two days, to be followed by a more comprehensive Final Report with recommendations for improvement of future elections.##
