Opposition leader and the president-elect for Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, has been sworn into office despite an ongoing legal battle involving the ruling party and the Electoral Commission, as well as a vote-auditing order made by the country’s Supreme Court.
The swearing-in was overseen by the first Vice President of the National People’s Assembly, Nuno Gomes Na Biam, with outgoing President Jose Mario Vaz in attendance.
Initial Result
According to the National Electoral Commission in Guinea-Bissau, Embalo won the runoff polls held on December 29 securing 53.55 per cent of the votes, while PAIGC’s Domingos Simoes Pereira placed second with 46.45 per cent of the votes.
PAIGC Challenges Results in Guinea-Bissau Supreme Court
Rejecting the result of the election, which he described as fraudulent, runner-up Domingos Simoes Pereira, whose party, the PAIGC holds a majority of the seats in parliament, filed a complaint before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court then ordered the Electoral Commission to conduct a full audit of the votes cast – an order that seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
Disregarding the order by the Guinea-Bissau Supreme Court to check the vote tally sheets, the Election Commission, on Tuesday, confirmed the result it had previously announced, while the PAIGC stood by its objections on the basis that the election process was manipulated.
Domingos Simoes Pereira filed a fresh complaint on Wednesday before the apex court, asking it to order a re-vote because of alleged widespread irregularities.
Discord as a Result of Embalo’s Inauguration
Embalo’s inauguration, which he had previously announced via social media on Wednesday, has been met with mixed reactions. In his announcement, Embalo stood by his decision to bypass the Supreme Court, which he said did not have the authority to rule over the election result dispute, as well as parliament, which also has to give its approval to the swearing-in.
Notable figures absent from Thursday’s swearing-in include the Speaker of the Legislature which shares power with the Presidency, according to Guinea-Bissau’s constitution, Prime Minister Aristides Domingo and several Supreme Court judges.
