Guinea-Bissau’s transitional leadership has set 6 December 2026 as the date for presidential and parliamentary elections, signalling a renewed commitment to restoring constitutional order following last year’s military takeover.
The announcement represents the first formal electoral calendar issued since the armed forces assumed power in November 2025, bringing an abrupt halt to the country’s voting process.
The election date was confirmed by transitional head of state Major General Horta N’Tam through a presidential decree released in the capital, Bissau, on Wednesday. The decree references the Transitional Political Charter adopted on 27 November 2025, which outlines the legal framework guiding the interim period.
According to the decree, the authorities intend to progressively establish the conditions required to organise elections that meet international standards of credibility, transparency and fairness.
The decision comes shortly after a high-level delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) visited Guinea-Bissau earlier this month. The mission, led by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio in his capacity as ECOWAS chair, included the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, as well as Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
That visit followed separate diplomatic engagement by Senegalese officials, which resulted in the partial release of several political detainees linked to opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira. Pereira, a former speaker of the National People’s Assembly, remains in custody.
ECOWAS has previously rejected transition timelines proposed by the leaders of the November 26 coup and has consistently called for the unconditional release of all political prisoners. The regional bloc has also insisted on the continued protection of state institutions by the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau and has warned of possible targeted sanctions against individuals or groups seen as undermining the transition.
As of publication, ECOWAS had not issued an official response to the newly announced election date.
Major General Horta N’Tam assumed power after the electoral process was halted just 24 hours before results from the 23 November 2025 vote were due to be released. Those elections had been assessed by ECOWAS and other international observers as credible, peaceful and transparent.
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