Guinea-Bissau to Vote on Constitutional Reforms August 30

Guinea-Bissau is scheduled to hold a constitutional referendum on August 30, aimed at implementing proposed reforms that would significantly enhance presidential powers and modify the electoral system prior to the presidential and legislative elections set for December. The country has been under military rule since a coup in November, which occurred just before the electoral commission was to announce presidential election results.

The proposed constitutional changes would allow the president to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet members, create or abolish ministries, chair the Council of Ministers, dissolve parliament during political crises, and dismiss the government under certain conditions. Additionally, the reforms would reduce the number of parliamentary seats from 102 to 65 and the number of electoral constituencies from 29 to 12.

Manuel Nobre de Barros, a professor at Lusofona University, indicated that these changes could weaken political parties with strong local support and significantly alter the power dynamics between the presidency and parliament. The proposed constitution would also require presidential candidates to have resided in Guinea-Bissau for the five years preceding an election.