Guinea-Bissau’s government has approved a new constitution through a referendum, according to provisional results released on Tuesday, 2 September, expanding presidential powers and reshaping electoral rules ahead of presidential elections scheduled for December.
The West African country, led by a military that seized power in a coup in November last year, voted on Sunday on reforms that allow the president to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and government, create or dissolve ministries, and dissolve parliament in the event of a severe political crisis.
Under the current constitution, parliament nominates a prime minister, who in turn forms the government.
The result gives the military government backing to reshape Guinea-Bissau’s political system before the presidential elections, though the main opposition party boycotted the vote.
The new constitution was approved by 70% of voters, with 30% voting against, according to provisional results announced by the National Electoral Commission. The same body indicated that approximately 544,060 people voted, equivalent to nearly 60% of registered voters.
Polling stations in the capital, Bissau, were nearly empty on Sunday, according to a Reuters witness. Some residents told local media they were unaware the referendum was taking place or did not understand its purpose.
Guinea-Bissau’s main opposition party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), called on its supporters to boycott the referendum, arguing that the process lacked adequate political and institutional guarantees.
PAIGC leader Domingos Simões Pereira said in a video message that backers of the referendum were seeking to “kill our freedom and bury our democracy”.
The new constitution will reduce the number of seats in parliament from 102 to 65 and cut the number of electoral constituencies from 29 to 12. The new constitutional text also establishes that presidential candidates must have resided continuously in Guinea-Bissau for the five years prior to standing.
Last year’s coup was the ninth recorded in West and Central Africa over a five-year period and forms part of a cycle of instability in Guinea-Bissau. The country is widely known as a hub for cocaine trafficking and has a long history of military interventions.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/02/mundo/africa/guine-bissau-governo-aprova-constituicao-que-amplia-poderes-presidenciais/
