‘The General’ becomes president in Guinea-Bissau SHARE
Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who on Wednesday was declared victor in Guinea-Bissau’s presidential elections, portrays himself as a unifier in a country with a long history of political turmoil.
Embalo, 47, likes to wear a red-and-white Arab keffiyeh headress, stresses his marriage as a Muslim man to a Christian woman and makes his political pitches in Portuguese Creole, Guinea-Bissau’s grassroots language.
He is also a former prime minister, serving under outgoing president Jose Mario Vaz between 2016 and 2018.
He teamed up with Madem, a party formed by rebels of the country’s historic ruling party, PAIGC. Embalo, a reserve brigadier general, trailed Pereira in the first round of voting on November 24 with just under 28 per cent. But “The General” was able to reverse his deficit by securing the backing of eliminated candidates and with the help of a feisty performance in a TV election debate.