Guinea-Bissau declared independence from Portugal on 24 September 1973, and Portugal recognised it on 10 September 1974 [1, 2]. Wikipedia counts six presidents, six acting presidents and five interim military leaders since then [1]. The latest chapter began on 26 November 2025, when soldiers seized power a day before election results were due, and General Horta Inta-A Na Man (also spelled N’Tam) was sworn in as transitional president on 27 November [3].
A new constitution was approved in August 2026 with about 70% of the vote [4]. On 8 October, the prime minister said the 6 December election would have to be delayed, with no new date set [5]. This guide lists every leader in order and explains how each left office. It separates documented facts from claims, compares Guinea-Bissau with other African and Asian countries, and includes news up to 3 November 2026.
Guinea-Bissau’s presidents at a glance
- Independence was declared on 24 September 1973, and Luís Cabral was the first president [1].
- Wikipedia counts six presidents, six acting presidents and five interim military leaders [1].
- Cabral was deposed in 1980. Nino Vieira was forced out in 1999, returned and was assassinated in 2009. Kumba Yala was deposed in 2003. Malam Bacai Sanhá died in office in 2012. Umaro Sissoco Embaló was deposed in 2025 [1, 2, 6].
- The November 2025 coup was the ninth coup or attempt since independence [7].
- Inta-A was sworn in on 27 November 2025 for one year [3].
- A new constitution was approved on 30 August 2026 with about 70% yes [4].
- The 6 December 2026 election will be delayed, with no new date [5].
The full timeline
| Leader and years | How the term ended |
|---|---|
| Luís Cabral (1973 to 1980) | Deposed in a coup on 14 November 1980 [1] |
| João Bernardo “Nino” Vieira (1980 to 1999) | Forced to surrender in May 1999 and went into exile in Portugal [2, 6] |
| Malam Bacai Sanhá (acting, 1999 to 2000) | Handed over to elected Kumba Yala [1] |
| Kumba Yala (2000 to 2003) | Deposed in a coup on 14 September 2003 [1] |
| Veríssimo Correia Seabra (military leader, 14 to 28 September 2003) | Handed over to Rosa [8] |
| Henrique Rosa (interim, 2003 to 2005) | Handed over to Vieira on 1 October 2005 [8] |
| Nino Vieira, second time (2005 to 2009) | Assassinated on 2 March 2009 [6] |
| Raimundo Pereira (acting, March to September 2009) | Handed over to Sanhá [9] |
| Malam Bacai Sanhá (2009 to 2012) | Died in office on 9 January 2012 in Paris [2] |
| Raimundo Pereira (acting, 2012) | Arrested in an April 2012 coup [9] |
| Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo (transitional, 2012 to 2014) | Handed over to Vaz on 23 June 2014 [8] |
| José Mário Vaz (2014 to 2019) | Five-year term ended on 23 June 2019 [8] |
| Umaro Sissoco Embaló (2020 to 2025) | Deposed in a coup on 26 November 2025 [7] |
| Horta Inta-A Na Man (transitional, 2025 to today) | Still in power [3] |
Before 1973: independence
Amílcar Cabral’s PAIGC party led the independence war. After his assassination in 1973, the party declared independence unilaterally. Portugal granted full independence on 10 September 1974 [2]. His half-brother Luís Cabral became the first president, and Cape Verde’s Aristides Pereira the first president of Cape Verde [2].
1973 to 1999: Cabral and Vieira
Vieira became prime minister in 1978 [2]. On 14 November 1980, he led a bloodless coup against Cabral. Cabral was charged with abuse of power and sentenced to death, and after negotiations he was released and went into exile [2]. The coup led the PAIGC in Cape Verde to split away and form a separate party [6]. Vieira ruled through a Military Council of the Revolution until 1984, when civilian rule returned [6].
In the first multiparty election in 1994, Vieira won 46.2% in the first round [11]. A civil war in 1998 and 1999 left him increasingly isolated, and he was forced to surrender in May 1999 and went into exile in Portugal [2]. Malam Bacai Sanhá served as acting president from 14 May 1999 to 17 February 2000 [8].
2000 to 2005: Kumba Yala
Yala won the first round of the 1999 election with 38.81%, ahead of Sanhá with 23.37%, and took office on 17 February 2000 [1, 11]. His rule was marked by sackings of ministers and officials and growing repression [2, 11]. General Veríssimo Correia Seabra deposed him on 14 September 2003, citing the government’s “incapacity” [11]. Seabra led a bloodless coup and ruled for two weeks before businessman Henrique Rosa was sworn in as interim president on 28 September [8, 12]. Seabra died on 6 October 2004 [12].
2005 to 2012: Vieira’s return, Sanhá, and another coup
Vieira returned and was elected president in 2005 [6]. He was assassinated on 2 March 2009 [6]. Raimundo Pereira, president of the National Assembly, was sworn in as interim president on 3 March 2009, and Sanhá, who won the election, succeeded him on 8 September 2009 [9]. Sanhá died on 9 January 2012 in Paris, where he was being treated [2].
Pereira was again acting president. An April 2012 coup arrested him and the prime minister [9]. Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo led the transition from 11 May 2012 to 23 June 2014 [8].
2014 to 2025: Vaz and Embaló
Vaz’s five-year term ran from 23 June 2014 [8]. Embaló beat Domingos Simões Pereira in the 2019 runoff by 54% to 46%, and Simões Pereira disputed the result [10]. Vaz stepped down to let Embaló take power [10].
After a coup attempt in December 2023, Embaló dissolved the opposition-controlled parliament on 4 December 2023 [10]. Elections were postponed several times, and Wikipedia says his term ended on 27 February 2025, though he stayed in power and ran again [10].
The November 2025 coup
Guinea-Bissau voted on 23 November 2025. Embaló and Fernando Dias, a political newcomer backed by the PAIGC, both claimed victory [3, 13]. On 26 November, officers announced they had seized control, a day before the results were due [7].
General Denis N’Canha announced the coup. He said it responded to a plot by politicians and a “well-known drug lord” to manipulate the vote [15]. The army took over the electoral commission and placed the country under a High Military Command [14]. Embaló left the country, and ECOWAS and the African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau [14].
Inta-A, the army chief of staff, was sworn in as transitional president on 27 November [3]. Dias told AFP he believed Embaló had personally organised the coup [13]. Opposition figures and regional actors questioned whether the takeover was staged to halt the electoral process and keep Embaló influential [14]. The Portuguese outlet Correio da Manhã said it had the results minutes showing Dias about 10,000 votes ahead [10].
2026: charter, constitution and delay
On 10 December 2025, the junta adopted a 12-month transitional charter. It barred the transitional president and prime minister from contesting post-transition elections [16, 17]. Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té, a former finance minister under Embaló, leads the government [17, 18].
In July, a military court ordered opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira, released in January, back to jail over an alleged October 2025 coup attempt [18]. A killing in August sent critics underground, and the government denies a role [5, 18].
On 30 August 2026, voters approved a new constitution with about 70% yes [4, 19]. It makes the president head of government, cuts parliament from 102 to 65 seats, and requires presidential candidates to have lived in Guinea-Bissau for five years and pay a 50 million CFA franc deposit [4, 19, 18]. The PAIGC boycotted, and polling stations in Bissau were largely empty, according to a Reuters witness [4]. About 915,000 people were eligible, and the head of the Human Rights League said “no” campaigners were not allowed to campaign [19].
On 28 September, Embaló announced he would return and run on 6 December [20]. The junta blocked him from returning in early October, citing national security [20]. On 8 October, the prime minister said the election cannot be held on 6 December, and the election commission called the date “technically impracticable” [5, 21]. No new date has been set [5].
What the rules say
- Constitution: the August 2026 constitution gives the president power over the government [4, 19].
- Candidates: the transitional president and prime minister cannot stand [17].
- Residency: presidential candidates must have lived in Guinea-Bissau for five years [4].
- Election date: none is set after the 6 December date collapsed [5].
Fact check: documented facts, myths and unverified claims
- Myth: “Guinea-Bissau has had only six leaders.” It has had six presidents, six acting presidents and five interim military leaders [1].
- Contested: whether the 2025 coup was staged. Dias and others say Embaló arranged it, and the army says it stopped a plot. I found no independent verification [13, 14, 15].
- Unverified: that Dias won. Preliminary results circulating before the coup showed him ahead, but no official count was released [10, 13].
- Documented: the charter bars the transitional president from standing [17].
- Contested: the August 2026 referendum. Officials reported 70% yes, while the main opposition boycotted and polling stations looked empty [4, 19].
- Alleged: an October 2025 coup attempt linked to Simões Pereira. The details are unverified, and an ECOWAS court ordered compensation for him and four other politicians detained after the coup [18, 21].
- Documented: the junta blocked Embaló from returning [20].
- Unsolved: the killing of rapper Vigario Luis Balanta. The government denies a role [5].
- Name variants: the transitional president appears as Horta N’Tam, Inta-A, Inta-A Na Man and Nta Na Man [22].
How Guinea-Bissau compares with other countries
Madagascar’s military also took power in October 2025 [23]. Burkina Faso’s junta dissolved all political parties in January 2026, and Benin’s coup attempt in December 2025 came two weeks after the Guinea-Bissau coup [24, 25]. Cabo Verde shares the PAIGC liberation movement with Guinea-Bissau, yet all of its presidents have left through elections [26]. Guinea-Bissau’s neighbour The Gambia held its presidential election plans for December 2026 [27].
Ghana had five leaders removed by coups between 1966 and 1981, and Nigeria has had 14 men across 16 presidencies [28, 29]. In Asia, Thailand has had 22 coups since 1932 [30]. Guinea-Bissau’s pattern, with nine coups or attempts since independence, is among the most coup-prone [7].
Disclaimer
This article is based on public sources available as of 3 November 2026 and is for general information only. Guinea-Bissau’s election date, the constitution’s effects, and the status of detained politicians are still developing, so details may change. If you notice an error or want to suggest a correction, please contact us so we can review it.
References
- • [1] List of presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Wikipedia
- • [2] Guinea-Bissau: Independence, civil war, economy, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- • [3] Guinea-Bissau general sworn in as transitional president after coup, Al Jazeera
- • [4] Guinea-Bissau approves new constitution that expands presidential powers, Reuters via Yahoo News Canada
- • [5] Guinea-Bissau to delay elections following last year’s coup, Reuters via Yahoo News
- • [6] João Bernardo Vieira, Wikipedia
- • [7] 2025 Guinea-Bissau coup d’état, Wikipedia
- • [8] List of presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Simple English Wikipedia
- • [9] Raimundo Pereira, Wikipedia
- • [10] 2025 Guinea-Bissau general election, Wikipedia
- • [11] Kumba Yala, Wikipedia
- • [12] Veríssimo Correia Seabra, Wikipedia
- • [13] Guinea-Bissau coup d’état explained: drug lords, election fraud claims and what comes next, Malay Mail
- • [14] Guinea-Bissau, November 2025, International IDEA Democracy Tracker
- • [15] Guinea-Bissau: Politics 2025, GlobalSecurity.org
- • [16] Military council promises Guinea-Bissau vote by December 2026 as ECOWAS debates sanctions, The Rio Times
- • [17] 2026 Guinea-Bissau general election, Wikipedia
- • [18] 2026 in Guinea-Bissau, Wikipedia
- • [19] 2026 Guinea-Bissau constitutional referendum, Wikipedia
- • [20] Guinea-Bissau says conditions not ripe for December 6 elections, allAfrica
- • [21] Guinea-Bissau says 6 December election cannot go ahead, The Rio Times
- • [22] Horta N’Tam, GlobalSecurity.org
- • [23] 2025 Malagasy coup d’état, Wikipedia
- • [24] Burkina Faso’s military government dissolves political parties, Al Jazeera
- • [25] West Africa: Benin soldiers announce coup, allAfrica
- • [26] List of presidents of Cape Verde, Wikipedia
- • [27] 2026 Gambian presidential election, Wikipedia
- • [28] List of heads of state of Ghana, Wikipedia
- • [29] List of presidents of Nigeria, Wikipedia
- • [30] Thailand has had 22 coups and could be heading toward a 23rd, The Christian Science Monitor
