Guiné-Bissau : Reexaminar a Lei-quadro sobre os Partidos Politicos

This policy brief examines the legal framework for political parties in Guinea-Bissau, specifically the 1991 Framework Law, and proposes reforms to strengthen democratic functioning, political financing, and gender equity.

• The Framework Law on Political Parties (Law No. 2/91), adopted on May 9, 1991, has governed political activities for over two decades. It requires parties to have at least 2,000 members and a presence of at least 100 militants in every region. The law allows the Supreme Court to dissolve a party if its verified membership falls below 1,000 or if there is a violation of the Constitution following the final criminal conviction of party leaders.
• Despite the legal framework, political instability in Guinea-Bissau is not primarily due to legislative deficiencies but rather to weak institutions and parties. This weakness has led to the personalization of power and failures in political, military, and economic governance, with laws often being poorly applied.
• While laws from 1991 and 2013 provide for public financing of political parties and campaign reimbursements based on state availability, in practice, parties and candidates have not received this public funding for a long time. The document notes that the primary issue is the inability of institutions to apply existing laws rather than a lack of legislation.
• The brief recommends creating a Constitutional Court to handle the registration of political parties, verify the conformity of their statutes with the Constitution, and serve as the sole authority for suspending or dissolving parties. Dissolution should be triggered by flagrant violations such as armed violence, hate speech, or long-term political inactivity.
• To promote gender equity, the document suggests that the framework law should require parties to guarantee women's active participation in their statutes and prohibit gender discrimination in leadership and candidacies. Specifically, it proposes a mandatory quota of 30% for women on lists for legislative and local elections.
• The brief proposes the creation of a National Commission for Political Financing, independent of the National People's Assembly and the National Election Commission. This body would regulate campaign spending, validate accounts, and monitor contributions from foreign foundations and 'sister parties' to ensure they do not compromise national independence.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2018). Guiné-Bissau : Reexaminar a Lei-quadro sobre os Partidos Politicos. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-3-por.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Guiné-Bissau : Reexaminar a Lei-quadro sobre os Partidos Politicos. 2018. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-3-por.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Guiné-Bissau : Reexaminar a Lei-quadro sobre os Partidos Politicos |date=May 2018 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-3-por.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2018guinbissau, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Guiné-Bissau : Reexaminar a Lei-quadro sobre os Partidos Politicos}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief-guineabissau-3-por.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }