11 Dec 2018 | 08:55 AM UTC
Guinea-Bissau: Legislative elections likely to be postponed again /update 3
Voter registration suspended December 6; legislative elections to be postponed to undetermined date
Event
Voter registration was suspended on Thursday, December 6, following opposition parties' complaints of irregularities. As such, legislative elections scheduled to take place on November 18 will be again postponed to a yet-undetermined date, likely in 2019. Related protests to denounce the delay are possible in the coming days. A heightened security presence and localized traffic disruptions are to be expected near demonstration sites.
Context
Deadlines for voter registration initially set for October 20 were postponed, for the second time, to December 5-7.
Guinea-Bissau has experienced a period of political uncertainty since August 2015, when President José Mario Vaz dismissed Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, leader of the president's own African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). Vaz and his government have since suffered increasing unpopularity.
On April 16, 2018, the president appointed a new prime minister, Aristides Gomes (the seventh since August 2015), who formed a consensus government in order to organize the legislative elections.
Advice
Individuals in Guinea-Bissau, particularly the capital Bissau, are advised to monitor the situation, avoid all demonstrations and protests due to the risk of violence, and adhere to any instructions issued by the local authorities.
