Kumba Ialá (born March 15 1953) was the first democratically elected President of Guinea-Bissau after the military coup that deposed João Bernardo Vieira. Ialá took office in 2000 after winning election in 1999. He replaced the acting president, Malam Bacai Sanhá .

Guinea-Bissau's economy had been devastated by the civil wars it had been experiencing, and Ialá was not successful in reviving it. Ialá accused The Gambia of fomenting rebellion in Guinea-Bissau, a charge which the foreign minister of The Gambia denied. He also began imprisoning domestic opposition activists that he accused of plotting against his government. His fears were often justified, as there were a number of coup attempts. One was finally successful on September 14, 2003; Ialá was deposed and arrested.

In March 2005, he was chosen as his party's presidential candidate for the election scheduled to be held in June, despite being officially banned from politics for five years. [1]