Twenty Eminent Africans Demand Release of Guinea-Bissau Election Results

Bissau: Mr Pedro Pires, former President of Cabo Verde, together with a group of former senior officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has called for urgent action to restore constitutional rule in Guinea-Bissau. In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the group, made up of 20 'Eminent Africans,' including former heads of international institutions and civil society organisations, demanded the immediate release of results from the country's November 23, 2025, presidential election. According to Ghana News Agency, the demand follows reports that security services and the army forced the National Electoral Commission to halt the compilation of election results. The group urged ECOWAS to 'demand the truth,' protect the rightful winner of the elections, and secure the release of political actors detained by the military junta, which seized power after the vote. The statement, issued by the group, invited the ECOWAS Heads of State, who are meeting in a Summit on December 14, to take decisive action. It emphasized the need to address the crisis affecting one of the most fragile states in the ECOWAS community. The military reportedly destroyed or confiscated documents and data essential for collating the results across Guinea-Bissau's eight regions. The signatories urged ECOWAS leaders to act swiftly to safeguard the democratic will of citizens and uphold the principles of the rule of law. They expressed their inability to remain silent in the face of such violations suffered by Guinea-Bissau. The group warned against accepting that military and political players could deprive citizens of their right to choose leaders through transparent elections, cautioning that it would send a message of power being the only rule in West Africa. Reports indicate that army officers seized power on November 26, a day before the Electoral Commission was due to announce the results. Major-General Horta Inta-A was sworn in as transitional president on November 27, while the deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló sought refuge abroad, including in Senegal. The group expressed shock at the army's intervention, which interrupted an electoral process that citizens of Guinea-Bissau had high hopes for. The joint statement concluded by asserting that Guinea-Bissau deserves support to conclude its electoral process, build democratic institutions, and establish a state based on the rule of law. The Eminent Africans also called on the African Union, United Nations, and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries to assist in restoring political stability in the country.