By Paul Ejime
African-led International Observation Missions to Guinea-Bissau’s November 23 legislative and presidential elections have condemned the “blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process…” and called on “ECOWAS and the African Union to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order,” in the country following the announcement of a military coup and suspension of the electoral process by the armed forces.
“We deplore this blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process and the gains that have been achieved thus far,” the ECOWAS, African Union and the West African Elders’ Forum (WAEF) Missions, said in a joint statement on Wednesday, 26 November. “We request the African Union and ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order.”
They expressed “concern over the arrests of top officials, including those that are in charge of the electoral process,” and “Urged the armed forces to immediately release the detained officials to allow the country’s electoral process to proceed to its conclusion.”
A group of military officers on Wednesday announced that the military “has taken control” of the country, with the President, Umaro Sissoco Embalo and some officials of his administration reportedly under arrest.
The military officers ordered a night curfew, suspension of the electoral process until further notice, and the closure of the country’s airport, land and sea borders, citing attempts by some “drug lords to destabilise the country.”
The National Electoral Commission, CNE, was scheduled to announce official results of the elections on Thursday, 27 November, with the two presidential front-runners, incumbent President Embalo and independent candidate Fernando Dias, both claiming victory.
In their joint statement, the Observation Missions noted the “orderly and peaceful conclusion of the voting process,” adding that “despite these encouraging developments, we express deep concern with the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces, while the nation was waiting for the announcement of the (election) results.”
“It is regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the (Observation) Missions had just concluded meetings with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people,” the statement said.
It called on “the people of Guinea-Bissau to ‘remain calm,’ and reaffirmed the commitment of their organisations “to supporting the country on its democratic path, and in this respect, we underscore the importance of preserving peace, stability, and well-being of the Guinea-Bissau people during this sensitive period.”
The ECOWAS Election Observation (EOM) is headed by Ambassador Baba Kamara, Ghana’s former High Commissioner to Nigeria and ECOWAS, an ex-National Security Adviser, while Mozambique’s former President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, led the AU Mission.
The West African Elders’ Forum is headed by its Chair and Convener, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, accompanied by former ECOWAS Commission President Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas.
The 135-member ECOWAS Observation Mission and other International observers, including the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), and the g7+ 20 countries affected by conflicts, had issued their Preliminary Declarations two days after the elections.
