• Guinea-Bissau scheduled both legislative and presidential elections for December 6, 2026 by presidential decree.
• The transition government said conditions for “free, fair and transparent” elections were coming together after a military coup.
• Political tensions persisted as key figures remained in exile or detention amid a fragile transition.

In Guinea-Bissau, the transition president set December 6, 2026 as the date for the country’s next legislative and presidential elections. The presidency announced the decision through a presidential decree issued on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, which entered into force immediately.

According to the official statement, “the necessary conditions for holding free, fair and transparent elections are in the process of being met.” The authorities said the vote should mark a return to constitutional order in the country.

This announcement followed a presidential mission by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Bissau. Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, who currently chairs the regional bloc, led the mission alongside Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The leaders discussed the need for a short transition led by an inclusive government that represents the country’s full political and social spectrum.

Despite the announced electoral timetable, the political environment remained fragile. Several political actors from the West African country currently lived in exile, including former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló. Authorities also detained opposition figures, notably opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira.

Since the military coup of November 26, 2025, which disrupted the electoral process underway at the time, Guinea-Bissau has remained under the control of General Horta N’Tam. The general assumed the role of transition president for a one-year mandate. On Tuesday, January 13, the National Transitional Council adopted a draft constitutional revision that shifted the country’s system from a parliamentary regime to a presidential one.

This article was initially published in French by Lydie Mobio

Adapted in English by Ange J. A. de BERRY QUENUM