Africa-Press – Mozambique. The governments of Portugal and Mozambique on Tuesday condemned the “seizure of power by force in Guinea-Bissau” and expressed “concern about developments in the country,” a position adopted at the sixth bilateral summit held in Porto.
In the final declaration of the summit, attended by Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, the two governments “reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening” the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) as “a forum for political consultation and cooperation in the space constituted by Portuguese-speaking countries.”
“In this context, they strongly condemned the seizure of power by force in Guinea-Bissau, expressing concern about developments in that partner country. They also supported initiatives to ensure a return to constitutional order and the completion of the electoral process in that country,” the final declaration stated.
At this summit, still in the diplomatic sphere, “Portugal congratulated Mozambique on its first term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council” for the 2023-2024 biennium.
“For its part, Mozambique reaffirmed its support for Portugal’s candidacy for the 2027-2028 biennium, in the elections to be held in June 2026,” the statement added.
Fernando Dias da Costa, who claims victory in the presidential elections in Guinea-Bissau, demanded last Wednesday that the National Election Commission (CNE) convene a plenary session to declare the election results “as soon as possible.”
In a statement posted on social media, he reacted to the CNE’s announcement that it was unable to continue the electoral process and disclose the results of the legislative and presidential elections held on 23 November due to alleged acts of vandalism at its premises.
Speaking on behalf of the CNE, its deputy executive secretary, Judge Idriça Djaló, said the alleged acts had been carried out by “armed, hooded men” on 26 November, the day before the provisional results were due to be announced.
The candidacy of Fernando Dias da Costa, currently exiled at the Nigerian embassy in Bissau, condemned the “illegal position” of the CNE’s executive secretariat, accusing it of “usurping the powers” of the plenary session of the body which, it argued, should have been convened to rule on the matter.
As such, the candidate demanded that the CNE plenary be convened and the results be released “as soon as possible so that the will of the people expressed at the polls is respected.”
Guinea-Bissau has been suspended from ECOWAS and the African Union following the coup d’état on 26 November, when the military high command seized power, dismissed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló (who subsequently left the country), and suspended the electoral process.
The general, presidential and legislative elections had taken place without incident, but on the eve of the announcement of the official results, a shootout in Bissau preceded the military takeover, with the Military High Command appointing General Horta Inta-A as transitional president.
The general announced the transition period would last no more than one year and appointed Ilídio Vieira Té, Embaló’s former minister, as prime minister and finance minister.
A new transitional government has since been sworn in, including figures from the deposed government and five military personnel among the 23 ministers and five secretaries of state.
During the coup, PAIGC leader Simões Pereira was arrested, and the military takeover was denounced by the opposition as a manoeuvre to prevent the release of the election results.
