Guiné-Bissau : Reformar as leis electorais

The document argues that Guinea-Bissau's electoral framework requires significant reform to resolve inconsistencies between the Constitution and electoral law, strengthen the independence of the National Election Commission (CNE), and ensure fair representation in the National People's Assembly. It highlights the problematic division of duties between the CNE and the government's technical support office (GTAPE) and the lack of demographic updates in electoral circle distributions. The brief also addresses the long-standing failure to hold municipal elections and suggests legalizing national election observation and improving the transparency of vote counting.

• There is a significant lack of coordination and a problematic division of responsibilities between the National Election Commission (CNE), which supervises voting, and the Technical Support Office for the Electoral Process (GTAPE), which manages voter registration under the Ministry of Territorial Administration.
• The CNE's independence is compromised by its financial dependence on the National People's Assembly (ANP), which controls the release of resources and can thus influence the commission's work.
• The use of witness testimony to prove identity during voter registration for citizens without national ID cards, while promoting inclusion, creates opportunities for fraud and the illegal movement of voters between circles to manipulate results.
• Guinea-Bissau lacks a legal framework for national election observation, as current law only explicitly recognizes international observers from entities like the UN, AU, and EU.
• Municipal elections, though provided for in the Constitution since 1994, have never been held due to a lack of political will, weak central state stability, and concerns regarding the marginalization of traditional local authorities.
• The 60-day constitutional deadline for holding early presidential elections following a vacancy is considered too short for the electoral system and registration processes to become operational.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2018). Guiné-Bissau : Reformar as leis electorais. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-2-por.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Guiné-Bissau : Reformar as leis electorais. 2018. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-2-por.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Guiné-Bissau : Reformar as leis electorais |date=May 2018 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-2-por.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2018guinbissau, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Guiné-Bissau : Reformar as leis electorais}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-2-por.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }