Guinea-Bissau Votes on Expanded Presidential Powers
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- Guinea-Bissau votes in a referendum to grant expanded presidential powers and reduce parliamentary seats from 102 to 65, ahead of December’s general election.
- Military government seized power in November 2023 after a disputed presidential election, allowing former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló to announce his removal in a press conference before leaving the country.
- National Transitional Council drafted the proposed constitution, which strengthens the president’s authority over the prime minister and limits parliamentary representation, citing political stability.
- Opposition groups, including the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, reject the referendum and urge a boycott, calling it a power grab that undermines democratic institutions.
- Citizens express widespread discontent, with many saying they do not understand the new constitution, while analysts question the legitimacy of a military-led constitutional rewrite.
- Gen. Tomás Djassi, head of the armed forces, defends the changes by comparing presidential authority to a single village leader, arguing it prevents conflict between the president and prime minister.
Why it matters: The military-backed constitutional changes risk entrenching executive power at the expense of democratic checks, with 915,000 voters deciding a document many don’t understand—amid skepticism that the process serves the public rather than the transitional regime’s interests.
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