Guinea-Bissau: Legislative elections to be postponed /update 1

Event

Deadlines for voter registration initially set for October 20 have been postponed to November 20. This came following protests that broke out in the capital Bissau on October 21 to denounce a lack of transparency and irregularities in the registration process. As such, legislative elections scheduled to take place on November 18 will presumably be postponed to a currently undetermined date.

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 on April 26 to organize the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Advice

Individuals in Guinea-Bissau, particularly 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.