• ECOWAS sent a high-level delegation on December 1 to negotiate a return to constitutional order after the military seized power ahead of the publication of presidential results.

• Guinea-Bissau’s foreign minister said the one-year transition deadline will go to ECOWAS heads of state for approval on December 14.

• The UN said the electoral commission cannot publish results because it has not received all the required tally sheets.

ECOWAS sent a delegation led by its current chair, Julius Maada Bio, to Guinea-Bissau on December 1 to meet the transitional government. The regional bloc initiated the mission after its virtual summit of heads of state on November 27, which followed the military takeover during the still-pending release of presidential results.

The delegation sought to negotiate steps to restore constitutional order, to secure the release of detained political figures, and to push for the publication of election results.

Today, I traveled to Guinea-Bissau to meet with the military leadership regarding the current political situation. As Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, I reaffirmed our strong commitment, as stated in our communique from the Extraordinary Session of… pic.twitter.com/PSBKmj9F14

— Julius Maada Bio (@julius_maadabio) December 1, 2025

Guinea-Bissau’s foreign minister, João Bernardo Vieira, said “the solution for the return to constitutional order is to continue to collaborate with ECOWAS.” He said authorities will submit the one-year transition deadline to the ECOWAS heads of state meeting scheduled for December 14. He added that the decision from the summit will determine the next steps for the country.

UN special representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, told Agence Ecofin that the National Electoral Commission (CNE) said it is not “technically able to publish the results of the November 23 general elections.” He said the commission has not received all the tally sheets required to complete the vote count.

His statement increased concern about institutional uncertainty in the post-election period. Guinea-Bissau has faced persistent political fragility and repeated institutional crises since its independence in 1974.

ECOWAS launched this mission after its November 27 virtual summit, which focused on the military takeover and the urgent need to return to constitutional governance.

This article was initially published in French by Lydie Mobio

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum