The Socialist International expresses its firm condemnation of the subversion of the constitutional order by the military in Guinea-Bissau and denounces unequivocally the reported seizure and detention of presidential candidate Carlos Gomes Junior, leader of the PAIGC, a member party of the Socialist International. The SI is equally concerned over the whereabouts and safety of Interim President Raimundo Pereira and other officials reportedly detained, and demands the immediate release of all those illegally withheld.

These acts, which have unfolded overnight and in the last hours, take place as the country prepares for the second round of the presidential elections scheduled for 29 April, in which Carlos Gomes Junior is the front-runner, having secured a substantial lead in the first round.

The Socialist International calls for the immediate re-establishment of democracy in Guinea-Bissau and urges the international community and regional organisations to act decisively in support of a swift return to the normal functioning of the democratic institutions of the country.

We express our full solidarity with the people of Guinea-Bissau today defending their democracy and with our member party, the PAIGC, a central actor in the democratic life of that nation.


PAIGC press release, 14/04/12