Guinea-Bissau's Tough Choices: Election Under Pressure

The upcoming presidential election in Guinea-Bissau is heating up, with incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embalo facing a strong challenge from Fernando Dias. This election is happening in a country where politics is as unstable as the weather and the cocaine trade is thriving. Dias, who is 47 years old, is gaining a lot of attention. He promises to improve security and keep soldiers out of politics. This is a big deal in a country known for its history of coups. Embalo, a former army general, is 53 and is trying to hold onto his position. Tamilton Teixeira, a sociologist, thinks Dias has a good chance of winning. Whoever wins will have a tough job. Guinea-Bissau has a long history of political instability and struggles to improve basic services. The economy relies heavily on cashew production, which is not enough to support the country's needs. Teixeira points out that any future president will need to do things differently to make a real change. The election has 12 candidates, but it's mainly between Embalo and Dias. If neither gets more than 50% of the vote, the other candidates could play a big role in a runoff. In the last election, former President Jose Mario Vaz backed Embalo after losing in the first round, which helped Embalo win. Embalo's time in office has been rocky. The opposition says his term ended in February, but the Supreme Court said it would end in September. Embalo has also been criticized for dissolving the legislature last year, which his government said was due to a coup attempt. Guinea-Bissau is also known as a key transit point for cocaine heading from South America to Europe. Vincent Foucher, a researcher, says there is plenty of evidence that Guinea-Bissau is a drug hub, with many people from the country being arrested with cocaine. Nearly half of Guinea-Bissau's population of about two million people are registered to vote in this election. The results are expected within 48 hours. This election is a big test for the country's future.