Guinea-Bissau’s planned December presidential and legislative elections have been thrown into uncertainty after the National Electoral Commission said conditions for conducting the polls had not been met.
The elections are expected to pave the way for a return to civilian rule following a military coup in November last year, after which the junta established a one-year transitional administration.
But with the December deadline approaching, the West African country has faced renewed political and security tensions, raising concerns over whether the elections can proceed as scheduled.
Felisberta Moura Vaz, vice-president of the National Electoral Commission, said the commission had communicated its assessment to military leader General Horta N’Tam, who also serves as transitional president.
Vaz told journalists that she could not confirm whether the elections would be postponed, saying the decision rested with the transitional authorities.
“It is a matter for the transitional president,” she said.
N’Tam’s Prime Minister, Ilidio Vieira Te, also expressed doubts about the readiness of the country’s political parties to participate in the elections.
He said no political party was “yet in an ideal position to contest the elections”, arguing that the leadership of most parties needed renewal.
The uncertainty comes amid continuing political fallout from last year’s coup, which occurred just one day before provisional results from an election were due to be announced.
N’Tam is a close associate of former President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who was removed from office in the military takeover. Some observers had alleged that Embalo was behind the coup in an attempt to stop an electoral process he appeared to be losing, although he has denied wrongdoing.
In recent weeks, however, the new military authorities have appeared to distance themselves from the former president.
Embalo was barred from returning to Guinea-Bissau last week amid reports of growing discontent within the presidential guard, a unit widely regarded as loyal to him.
Several members of the guard were subsequently disarmed and placed under supervision at military headquarters.
The latest uncertainty over the elections has added to concerns about Guinea-Bissau’s political stability. The country, located between Senegal and Guinea, has experienced five coups and numerous attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
