Since Guinea-Bissau's unilateral declaration of independence from Portugal on 24 September 1973, there have been six presidents, five acting presidents and three interim military leaders.

The current holder of the office is Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who took office on 27 February 2020 after being elected in the 2019 presidential election.

As of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Guinea-Bissau.

Incumbent president José Mário Vaz finished fourth in the first round of voting, failing to progress to the runoff.

[3] According to the preliminary and final results published by the national commission of elections, Umaro Sissoco Embaló won the runoff vote against Simões Pereira, 54% to 46%.