More than 800,000 Bissau-Guineans are called to the polls on November 23, 2025, to elect their president and their 102 deputies.

Twelve candidates, including the outgoing head of state, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and his predecessor José Mario Vaz, are in the running for the Presidential election, while 14 political parties have presented candidates for the 102 seats of deputies in the new National Assembly.

However, these general elections have a special significance. They will be held for the first time without the historic party, the PAIGC, which led the country to independence.

In the capital Bissau and throughout the country, the campaign has been in full swing for about ten days, without the PAIGC strongman, Domingos Simoes Pereira, the main opponent of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. This seems to give the presidential coalition a free hand.

In Ziguinchor, a border town with Guinea-Bissau, troops loyal to the outgoing president are occupying the area, home to a large Guinea-Bissau community. A show of force was staged to welcome the coordinator of the ruling coalition, Alahdji Botche Candé, who is also the Minister of the Interior and Public Order.

Léopold Dasylva, a member of the presidential coalition and a candidate for the Legislative elections, stated: "We have no rival on the ground. We are ready and we will win" with the various parties grouped together to support the candidacy of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló for a second term following the elections of November 23, 2025.

Alahdji Botche Candé presented a glowing assessment of their coalition's presidential candidate. According to him, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló is the driving force behind Guinea-Bissau's growing transformation. He has made access to drinking water and electricity possible, once a luxury in many cities. The construction of roads and high-quality hospitals, among other achievements, is attributed to the outgoing president.

On the diplomatic front, the coordinator of the presidential coalition stated that "Umaro Sissoco Embaló is working tirelessly for good cooperation between The Gambia, Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau." He believes that a man of his stature can only continue to lead the country, which must not fall into the hands of incompetent people.

Alahdji Botche Candé also offered reassurances regarding border harassment. According to him, Senegalese citizens will no longer experience or face major difficulties at the Guinea-Bissau border. He announced close collaboration with his Senegalese counterpart on this matter.