Umaro Sissoco Embaló

Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló (born 23 September 1972) is the president of Guinea-Bissau.[1] He is a political scientist and military officer who previously served as prime minister between 18 November 2016 and 16 January 2018.[2]

Umaro Sissoco Embaló
President of Guinea-Bissau
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 February 2020
Prime Minister	Nuno Gomes Nabiam
Preceded by	José Mário Vaz
18th Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau
In office 18 November 2016 – 16 January 2018
President	José Mário Vaz
Preceded by	Baciro Djá
Succeeded by	Artur Silva
Personal details
Born	23 September 1972 Bissau, Portuguese Guinea
Political party	Madem G15 (Movimento para Alternância Democrática)
Alma mater	Technical University of Lisbon Complutense University
Military service
Allegiance	Guinea-Bissau
Rank	General

Life

Born in Bissau, Embaló holds a degree in International Relations from the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences at the Technical University of Lisbon, as well as both a master's degree in Political Science and a Doctorate in International Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and competent in English, French, Arabic and Swahili.[3]

He served in the military, undertaking National Defense Studies at the National Defense Center of Spain, and underwent further studies on National Security in Brussels, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Japan and Paris. He rose to the rank of Brigadier-General.[3]

He now specialises in African and Middle-Eastern affairs and in matters of defence, international co-operation and development. He is a former Minister of African Affairs.

Prime Ministership

He formed his cabinet on 13 December 2016 after having been appointed Prime Minister by President José Mário Vaz on 18 November 2016.[4]

However, Embaló took the post while under a boycott of his own party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which through its Central Committee gave him a vote of distrust of one hundred and twelve votes in favor and eleven against on November 26, 2016.[5]

As head of government, he could only count on the support of only the Social Renovation Party, the second largest seat of the National People's Congress of Guinea-Bissau.[6]

On 13 January 2018, after disagreements with President José Mário Vaz, he was replaced according to the demands of João Fadiá (Minister of Finance) and Botche Candé (Minister of the Interior),[7] Embaló requested his resignation from the position, effective on 16 January 2018.[6]

2019 presidential elections

Embaló ran for president in 2019, running as the candidate of Madem G15. He finished in second place with 27% of the vote in the first round of voting.[8] According to the preliminary and final results published by the national commission of elections he won the runoff vote against another ex Prime-minister, Domingos Simões Pereira, 54% to 46%. However, the final results continue to be disputed by his opponent Domingos Simões Pereira.[9] Although neither the supreme court of Guinea-Bissau nor the parliament had given its approval for the official swearing-in ceremony, Sissoco Embaló had organized an alternative swearing-in ceremony in a hotel in Bissau to announce himself as legal president of Guinea-Bissau.[10] Several politicians in Guinea-Bissau, including prime minister Aristides Gomes, accused Sissoco Embaló of arranging a Coup d'état, although outgoing president Mário Vaz stepped down to allow Embaló to take power.[11]

References

1. "Umaro Sissoco Embalo swears himself in as Guinea-Bissau president". BusinessDay. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
2. "Guinea-Bissau names new prime minister, fifth in nine months - Africa - DW - 19.11.2016". DW.COM.
3. "Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo". Archived from the original on 13 March 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
4. Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Guinea Bissau prime minister names cabinet amid political crisis".
5. Reuters (28 November 2016). "Guinea Bissau's dominant party to boycott new government". Business Insider.
6. Agência Lusa (16 January 2018). "Umaro Sissoco Embaló deixa Governo da Guiné-Bissau". Deutsche Welle.
7. Agência Lusa (13 January 2018). "Guiné-Bissau: Presidente analisa pedido de demissão do primeiro-ministro". Deutsche Welle.
8. "CNE - RESULTADOS PROVISÓRIOS PRESIDENCIAIS 2019". CNE.gw (in Portuguese).
9. "Guinea-Bissau ex-PM Embalo declared winner of runoff". AfricaNews. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
10. Agency Staff (February 27, 2020). "Umaro Sissoco Embalo swears himself in as Guinea-Bissau president". BusinessDay. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
11. Darame, Braima; Lusa, Agência (February 27, 2020). "Em meio a contencioso judicial, Sissoco toma "posse simbólica" como Presidente da Guiné-Bissau". DW (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 February 2020.

• This article includes some material from the equivalent article on French Wikipedia.