In a blow to democracy and the hopes of many in Guinea-Bissau, the nation’s electoral body has declared it unable to complete the presidential election after critical materials including ballots, tally sheets, computers and servers were seized or destroyed in a violent takeover.
On 26 November 2025, just one day before provisional results from the 23 November vote were due to be announced, armed men attacked the headquarters of the National Electoral Commission (CNE), confiscating vote tallies, computers and destroying the central server where results were stored.
A senior commission official, Idrissa Djalo, said the scale of the destruction made it impossible for the CNE to carry on with the count. Without the regional tally sheets, they simply lack what is needed to certify the election.
Just hours earlier, officers of the country’s armed forces had declared that they were seizing control of the state. The takeover has since paralyzed governmental institutions, closed borders, imposed curfews, and halted progress on national results.
The Guardian
For ordinary citizens voters, families, activists this is more than a political disruption. It is a betrayal of their voices. Many cast ballots in hope of a peaceful transition, of stability, of a future where their will counts. Instead, the destruction of their ballots signals that their participation may amount to nothing.
Communities that turned out in large numbers now face uncertainty about representation. Those who believed change was around the corner may now wonder if their dreams will be deferred indefinitely.
The takeover and the destruction of election data have triggered strong reactions from international and regional bodies. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union have condemned the interruption of the democratic process, calling for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and the release of detained officials.
APAnews – Agence de Presse Africaine
Read Also: U.S. Embassy Sierra Leone Responds to Widespread Rumors on DV-2027
The world watches as Guinea-Bissau a nation with a long history of political instability stands at yet another crossroads. Many fear this may deepen distrust in institutions and widen social fractures.
Guinea-Bissau needs more than a restart. It needs assurances that citizens’ votes and futures matter. Families displaced by fear, communities uncertain about leadership, and a nation longing for peace — they all deserve answers.
The destruction of the election records is not just loss of data. It is damage to trust, to hope, to democracy itself.
