• Guinea-Bissau will conduct presidential and legislative elections on December 6.
• The elections follow a coup that ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in November 2025.
• Military leaders claim conditions for fair elections are in place, despite international scrutiny.
• ECOWAS has called for a swift and transparent transition and the release of political prisoners.
• The transitional charter bars the interim leaders from participating in the elections.

Guinea-Bissau's military junta has officially scheduled presidential and legislative elections for December 6, according to a decree announced by the junta leader, Major-General Horta N'Tam. He stated, “All the conditions for organising free, fair, and transparent elections have been met” during a press briefing following a meeting with government officials and electoral representatives, as reported by Africanews, Al Jazeera, and BBC.

The elections arise after the ousting of President Embaló in November 2025, which the military claimed was necessary to prevent a potential “bloodbath” among rival political factions. Since this event, the junta has faced pressure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to establish a rapid transition to civilian governance, as outlined by Africanews and Al Jazeera.

ECOWAS recently dispatched a mission to facilitate dialogue with the junta leaders. Following these meetings, there were demands for the release of political prisoners, particularly the opposition leader, Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was detained during the coup. Observers are concerned about the implications of the junta's consolidation of power and the adherence to a transitional timeline, as detailed by BBC and Al Jazeera.

The junta's decision to bar N'Tam and his prime minister from running in the upcoming elections is part of a broader transitional charter aimed at stabilizing the nation. However, skepticism remains regarding whether this transition will effectively facilitate genuine democratic governance, particularly in a region marked by a series of coups since 2020, as noted by BBC.