Guinea-Bissau Government Says December Elections Cannot Proceed

Transitional Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té, after meeting junta leader and transitional President Horta N'Tam on October 8, said the conditions for holding credible presidential and legislative elections on December 6 do not exist. He pointed to the October 6 candidate-registration deadline passing without required submissions, parties not in an ideal position to contest, and leadership he called outdated and in need of grassroots renewal, and used the phrase "no conditions." He announced no new date and said further word would come from the transitional president. N'Tam had summoned the National Electoral Commission; vice president Felisberta Moura Vaz told reporters the conditions necessary to organise elections by December 6 will not be met, adding she would not say the vote will be postponed because that is a matter for the transitional president. Coverage notes a presidential decree would be needed to cancel the date. The vote is part of a 12-month transition after the military took power on November 26, 2025, days after November 23 elections and before results. The junta barred Umaro Sissoco Embalo from returning from Morocco, citing security; N'Tam urged remaining presidential-guard members to hand in weapons. Civil society activists cite suppression and the unsolved murder of rapper Vigario Luis Balanta; the government denies involvement. Cashew nuts exceed 90% of exports per World Bank research. No replacement date is set.