Guinea-Bissau's ruling military has blocked former president Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who has lived in exile in Morocco since the November 2025 coup, from returning to the country to run in the December presidential election, citing security conditions and public order. Residents of the capital, Bissau, were divided, with some saying he is a citizen entitled to take part and others saying authorities simply cannot guarantee his safety. The ban matters because Guinea-Bissau (a small West African state between Senegal and Guinea that has seen five coups since independence from Portugal in 1974) is heading toward a vote under a new constitution that widens presidential powers, while the junta keeps restrictions on political gatherings in place.