Guinea-Bissau opposition candidate accuses president of staging a coup and claims election victory

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) — The main opposition candidate in Guinea-Bissau late Wednesday claimed victory in a closely contested presidential vote this week and accused the West African nation’s leader of staging a coup to avoid defeat.

Wednesday’s military takeover and the reported arrest of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was “fabricated” to disrupt election results expected Thursday, his rival Fernando Dias said in a video posted online, which echoed claims by civil society groups.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims by Dias, a member of the Social Renewal Party.

The opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde was barred from the vote, prompting its leader, former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira and runner-up in the 2019 election, to back Dias.

The party and Dias called on residents to stage protests against the coup and demand publication of the election results. But on Thursday morning, activities appeared to be normal in the capital Bissau, with businesses and public transport gradually picking up.

Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, including a coup attempt in October. The country of 2.2 million people is known as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trend that experts say has fueled its political crises.

The reported coup is the latest in a surge of military takeovers in West Africa, where democracy recently has been challenged by disputed elections that analysts say could embolden militaries.

Gunshots rang out in the main city of Bissau on Wednesday just days after the tense presidential election, which Embalo and Dias both claimed to have won.

In a scene that has become familiar in the region, military officers appeared on state television and claimed they had seized power. Embaló, who was seeking a rare second term, then told French media he had been arrested while the election commission’s office was sealed.

Dias, 47, said in his video that he escaped custody “through a backdoor” after reports he was arrested by soldiers. He vowed to fight back.

“Umaro lost the elections, and instead of accepting the result, he fabricated a coup d’état,” Dias said. “Once again, we, we have been the target of false coup d’état. … We will liberate ourselves.”

This week’s elections were held at a critical time for the African country as Embaló, a 53-year-old former army general, faced a legitimacy crisis. The opposition said his tenure had long expired and refused to recognize him as president.

The military officers who announced they had deposed the president cited the “discovery of an ongoing plan … to manipulate electoral results,” according to a spokesperson, Dinis N’Tchama, who was flanked by others during the televised statement.

The “scheme was set up by some national politicians with the participation of a well-known drug lord, and domestic and foreign nationals,” N’Tchama said.

Several international bodies and countries have condemned the reported coup and the United Nations said it was following the situation “with deep concern.”

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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.