Guiné-Bissau : Reformar as leis electorais

This policy brief analyzes the deficiencies in Guinea-Bissau's electoral framework and recommends reforms to improve the independence of the National Election Commission (CNE), ensure demographic fairness in parliamentary seat distribution, and establish a legal basis for national election observation. It also highlights the long-standing failure to implement municipal elections despite constitutional requirements.

• There is a significant lack of coordination and a confusing 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 lacks financial and operational independence, as it depends on the National People's Assembly (ANP) for resource allocation and cannot independently update technical administrative norms.
• The current distribution of parliamentary seats across electoral circles does not reflect demographic realities, leading to a violation of the principle of vote equivalence. For example, one deputy represents 4,370 voters in Gabú compared to 19,061 in the autonomous sector of Bissau.
• The use of witness testimony to prove identity for voter registration, intended to include rural citizens without IDs, is identified as a potential source of fraud and electoral anomalies.
• While international election observation is regulated by a 1994 law, there is no legal framework for national observation by civil society organizations, which the CNE has recommended be changed.
• Constitutional and legal timelines for elections are inconsistent; the 60-day window for presidential elections following a vacancy is considered too short for the electoral system to become operational.
• Municipal elections have been constitutionally mandated since 1994 but have never been held, with local authorities currently appointed by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Local Power.

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} }