Guinea-Bissau Opposition Leader Pereira Returns from Exile to Run for Presidency

Guinea-Bissau’s opposition leader, Domingos Simoes Pereira, returned from exile on Friday to formally submit his candidacy for the country’s upcoming presidential election, an AFP correspondent reported.

Pereira, a former prime minister and head of the PAIGC party that fought for Guinea-Bissau’s independence from Portugal, spent the last nine months abroad citing threats to his life and unresolved legal troubles.

He landed in Bissau on Friday night under heavy security, while supporters gathered at the airport despite heavy rain. Pereira left without addressing reporters, but earlier in Portugal he told followers that he was coming back to lead a “democratic fight.”

On social media, he confirmed his intention to contest the November 23 presidential election, stressing the importance of filing his candidacy before the September 26 deadline.

A long-time rival of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Pereira previously ran against him in the disputed 2019 polls, which led to a political standoff that briefly saw two rival presidents sworn in. Opposition figures, including Pereira, argue that Embalo’s five-year mandate — which began on February 27, 2020 — has already expired.

Pereira also faces serious allegations, including coup plotting and corruption. Political analyst Joao Alberto Djata warned that “his return is risky because several accusations still weigh against him.”

Since independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has endured four successful coups and 17 attempted ones, the last successful power grab occurring in 2012.

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