The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Guinea-Bissau

This page contains a list of the greatest Guinea-Bissauan Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 18 of which were born in Guinea-Bissau. This makes Guinea-Bissau the birth place of the 104th most number of Politicians behind Nigeria, and Panama.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Guinea-Bissauan Politicians of all time. This list of famous Guinea-Bissauan Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Guinea-Bissauan Politicians.

1. João Bernardo Vieira (1939 - 2009)

With an HPI of 61.87, João Bernardo Vieira is the most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages on wikipedia.

João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈɐ̃w bɨɾˈnaɾðu ˈninu viˈɐjɾɐ, ˈʒwɐ̃w -]; 27 April 1939 – 2 March 2009) was a Bissau-Guinean politician who served as President of Guinea-Bissau from 1980 to 1999, except for a three-day period in May 1984, and from 2005 until his assassination in 2009. After seizing power from President Luís Cabral in a military coup in 1980, Vieira ruled as part of the Military Council of the Revolution until 1984, when civilian rule was returned. Opposition parties were allowed in 1991, and Vieira won a multiparty presidential election in 1994. He was ousted at the end of the 1998–1999 civil war and went into exile. He made a political comeback in 2005, winning that year's presidential election. Vieira was killed by soldiers on 2 March 2009, apparently in retaliation for a bomb blast that killed Guinea-Bissau's military chief General Batista Tagme Na Waie hours before. The military officially denied these allegations after unidentified Army officials claimed responsibility of Vieira for Na-Waie's death. Vieira described himself as "God's gift" to Guinea-Bissau during his tenure in office.

2. Luís Cabral (1931 - 2009)

With an HPI of 57.66, Luís Cabral is the 2nd most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Luís Severino de Almeida Cabral (11 April 1931 – 30 May 2009) was a Bissau-Guinean politician who was the first President of Guinea-Bissau. He served from 1974 to 1980, when a military coup d'état led by João Bernardo Vieira deposed him. Luís Cabral was a half-brother of Amílcar Cabral, with whom he co-founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) in 1956.

3. Carmen Pereira (1937 - 2016)

With an HPI of 55.98, Carmen Pereira is the 3rd most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Carmen Maria de Araújo Pereira (22 September 1936 – 4 June 2016) was a Bissau-Guinean politician. She served three days as Acting President in 1984, becoming the first woman in this role in Africa and the only one in Guinea-Bissau's history. She had the shortest term as the Acting President, serving only three days in office. She died in Bissau on 4 June 2016.

4. Malam Bacai Sanhá (1947 - 2012)

With an HPI of 55.98, Malam Bacai Sanhá is the 4th most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

Malam Bacai Sanhá (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmalɐ̃ bɐˈkaj sɐˈɲa]) (5 May 1947 – 9 January 2012) was a Guinea-Bissau politician who was President of Guinea-Bissau from 8 September 2009 until his death on 9 January 2012. A member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), Sanhá was President of the National People's Assembly from 1994 to 1999 and then served as acting President of Guinea-Bissau from 14 May 1999, to 17 February 2000, following the ouster of President João Bernardo Vieira. Standing as the PAIGC candidate, he placed second in the 1999–2000 presidential election as well as the 2005 presidential election before winning the June–July 2009 presidential election.

5. Kumba Ialá (1953 - 2014)

With an HPI of 53.48, Kumba Ialá is the 5th most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Kumba Ialá Embaló, also spelled Yalá (15 March 1953 – 4 April 2014), was a Bissau-Guinean politician who was president from 17 February 2000 until he was deposed in a bloodless military coup on 14 September 2003. He belonged to the Balanta ethnic group and was President of the Social Renewal Party (PRS). In 2008 he converted to Islam and took the name Mohamed Ialá Embaló. He was the founder of the Party for Social Renewal. In 2014, Ialá died from a cardiopulmonary arrest.

6. Henrique Rosa (1946 - 2013)

With an HPI of 52.57, Henrique Rosa is the 6th most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Henrique Pereira Rosa (18 January 1946 – 15 May 2013) was a Bissau-Guinean politician who served as interim President of Guinea-Bissau from 2003 to 2005. He was born in 1946 in Bafatá.

7. Carlos Correia (1933 - 2021)

With an HPI of 51.44, Carlos Correia is the 7th most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Carlos Correia (6 November 1933 – 14 August 2021) was a Bissau-Guinean politician who was Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau from 17 September 2015 to 12 May 2016. Previously he was Prime Minister from 27 December 1991 to 26 October 1994, from 6 June 1997 to 3 December 1998, and from 5 August 2008 to 25 December 2008.

8. José Mário Vaz (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 50.72, José Mário Vaz is the 8th most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

José Mário Vaz (born 10 December 1957) is a Bissau-Guinean politician who served as president of Guinea-Bissau from 23 June 2014 to 27 February 2020.

9. Veríssimo Correia Seabra (1947 - 2004)

With an HPI of 50.62, Veríssimo Correia Seabra is the 9th most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Veríssimo Correia Seabra (February 16, 1947 – October 6, 2004) was a Bissau-Guinean general, known for leading a coup that deposed Kumba Ialá on September 14, 2003.

10. Umaro Sissoco Embaló (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 49.34, Umaro Sissoco Embaló is the 10th most famous Guinea-Bissauan Politician. His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló (born 23 September 1972) is a Bissau-Guinean politician serving as the president of Guinea-Bissau since February 2020. He is a political scientist and military officer who previously served as prime minister between November 2016 and January 2018.

People

Pantheon has 20 people classified as Guinea-Bissauan politicians born between 1931 and 1973. Of these 20, 11 (55.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Guinea-Bissauan politicians include José Mário Vaz, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and Carlos Gomes Júnior. The most famous deceased Guinea-Bissauan politicians include João Bernardo Vieira, Luís Cabral, and Carmen Pereira. As of April 2024, 2 new Guinea-Bissauan politicians have been added to Pantheon including Rui Duarte de Barros, and Adiato Djaló Nandigna.