Guinea-Bissau to delay elections following last year’s coup

The West African nation held a presidential election in November last ​year that was disrupted when soldiers toppled the civilian ​government before the results could be announced Voters in ⁠August approved a new constitution that expanded presidential powers The prime ​minister told reporters that political parties had not held ​their congresses to choose their leaders, and potential candidates for the election had missed the October 6 deadline for submitting their bids ​to the nation's Supreme Court The prime minister did ​not offer a timeframe for setting a new date for a ‌vote, ⁠stating, "there are no conditions for holding the elections scheduled for December 6" Last week, the government blocked the former president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, from returning, citing national security concerns.

Guinea-Bissau's presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for December 6, will have to be delayed, Prime Minister ​Ilídio Vieira Té told reporters on Thursday, though ‌he did not set a new date for the vote.

Embalo ​had planned ​to return on ⁠Sunday and contest the presidential election Civil society activists say the current interim government ​has used fear to crush political dissent, citing ​the unsolved ⁠murder of Vigario Luis Balanta, a popular rapper and founder of a political movement, as a high-profile example.