25 Dec 2018 | 09:39 PM UTC
Guinea-Bissau: President Vaz schedules elections for March 2019 /update 4
President José Mario Vaz issues decree on December 20 to schedule legislative elections for March 10, 2019
Event
n Thursday, December 20, President José Mario Vaz issued a decree scheduling the previously postponed legislative elections for March 10, 2019. Voting registration was previously suspended on December 6 following opposition parties' complaints of irregularities and it is unclear when it will resume. Election related events will likely be planned in the coming months. Associated political rallies and demonstrations are also expected.
Context
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.
