Lisbon, Dec. 2, 2025 (Lusa) - The spokesperson for the president of Guinea-Bissau's National Electoral Commission (CNE), Judge Idriça Djaló, announced on Tuesday that he is unable to continue with the electoral process due to the confiscation of equipment and minutes by "armed men" on the 26th.
In a press release, without the right to ask questions, the magistrate's statements were broadcast in the media and on social networks.
"The CNE is completely unable to continue and complete the electoral process," said Djaló.
The CNE spokesperson, who is the deputy executive secretary of the body responsible for the electoral process, reported a series of incidents that occurred at the electoral administration's premises the day before the publication of the provisional results of the general elections on 23 November, namely an invasion by "armed and hooded men".
Idriça Djalo made public the conversation he had on Monday with a mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Sierra Leone's President, Julius Maada Bio, who is in Bissau and attempting to mediate the crisis in the country.
In the conversation, Djalo reported that the president of the Guinean CNE, Judge Mpabi Cabi, explained that the institution is unable to continue with the work required to publish the results of the legislative and presidential elections.
The spokesperson reported that the "invaders" seized the personal belongings of the 45 people who were at the CNE, "completely vandalised the CNE premises," and removed computers, documents, and some election tallying records.
"The CNE's IT services were also vandalised and the server containing the national counting software was lost," said Idriça Djaló, pointing out that in Guinea-Bissau "the electoral process works in a cascade".
"Failing one stage automatically affects the entire process," he said, explaining that the CNE was unable to proceed with the various intermediate stages that would have led to the publication of the results on the 27th, as previously announced.
The official said that the institution informed the ECOWAS delegation that it was unable to announce the election results "because it did not have any regional counting records in its possession."
Guinea-Bissau has been suspended from ECOWAS and another regional organisation, the African Union, as a result of the coup d'état on 26 November, when a military high command seized power, dismissed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who left the country, and suspended the electoral process.
The general, presidential and legislative elections had taken place without incident on 23 November, and a day later, the opposition candidate, Fernando Dias, supported by the historic PAIGC party, which had been excluded from the elections, claimed victory in the first round over President Embaló.
On the eve of the official results' announcement, a shootout in Bissau preceded the seizure of power by the Military High Command, which appointed General Horta Inta-A as transitional president.
Horta Inta-A announced that 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.
On Saturday, a new transitional government was sworn in, with names from the deposed government and five military personnel among the 23 ministers and five secretaries of state.
In the coup, the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde (PAIGC), Domingos Simões Pereira, was arrested, and the opposition denounced the military takeover as a manoeuvre to prevent the release of the election results.
*** The Lusa news agency's delegation in Guinea-Bissau has been suspended since August, following the government's expulsion of Portuguese media representatives. Coverage is being provided remotely *** HFI/ADB // ADB.
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