Guinea-Bissau - 2019 Presidential Elections
Guinea-Bissau is a multiparty republic. The country has endured prolonged political gridlock punctuated by periods of turmoil. Although international observers considered elections in the 2019 cycle to be free and fair, the Sissoco government used intimidation and arbitrary arrest to consolidate its power. Members of the military and civilian administration reportedly trafficked in drugs and assisted international drug cartels by providing access to the country and its transportation infrastructure. Some military and civilian authorities were also complicit in trafficking in illegally cut timber.
Significant human rights issues included: cases of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; significant acts of corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for crimes of violence against women and girls; trafficking in persons; and the worst forms of child labor. Members of the security forces committed some abuses. The government had mechanisms to investigate and punish officials who committed abuses, but impunity remained a serious problem.
The first round of the presidential election took place on November 24, 2019. The top two finishers from the first round, Domingos Simoes Pereira and Umaro Sissoco Embalo, met in a runoff election on December 29, 2019. The National Election Commission declared Sissoco the winner. International observers characterized the election as free, fair, and transparent. The opposition party PAIGC launched an appeal, disputing the fairness and accuracy of the results. An institutional stalemate ensued, as the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) did not ratify the electoral results despite the National Election Commission declaring Sissoco the winner. Sissoco assumed the presidency on February 27 after an unofficial inauguration and transfer of power from the previous president Jose Mario Vaz, the first president to serve out a full term.
In support of Sissoco, the military temporarily took over all government institutions, the SCJ, and the national broadcast media. Sissoco appointed Nuno Gomes Nabiam prime minister. On 03 March the prime minister named his new government, which consisted of 32 members including 19 ministers and 13 state secretaries. The 32-member cabinet included seven women, including four ministers and three state secretaries. On April 22, ECOWAS recognized Sissoco as the winner of the 2019 presidential elections. In September the SCJ dismissed the PAIGC’s appeal disputing the election results. The dismissal ended an eight-month long judicial process in which the opposition party’s legal challenges had bounced between the SCJ and the National Elections Committee.
Guinea-Bissau was poised to hold presidential elections in April 2019, after a period of political crisis. Since the last legislative polls in 2014, the country has had no less than seven prime ministers. Four years of political paralysis left their mark on Guinea-Bissau. Many schools and universities have been closed for years, the judicial system does not function, the public health sector was in a dire state. The government lacks money for the most basic needs.
Guinea-Bissau has been plagued by military coups and instability since its post-colonial independence from Portugal in 1974. It has been a major hub for cocaine smuggling and suffered nine coups since 1980. The small Portuguese-speaking country had been in the throes of a power struggle since August 2015, when Vaz sacked then prime minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, leader of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). Since then, two factions of the ruling PAIGC have failed to resolve their differences over Pereira's successor with some lawmakers refusing to work with him. Votes on new laws or budgetary proposals have remained on ice. Parliament was paralyzed, and Guinea-Bissau did not have a functioning government.
There have been some encouraging signs of progress towards the resolution of the political and institutional impasse in Guinea -Bissau. Consensus on a new inclusive Government has been achieved, plenary sessions of the National Assembly have resumed, a state budget has been adopted, and the date for holding legislative elections has been set for 18 November 2018. The appointment of Aristides Gomes as Prime Minister and the possibility that José Mario Vaz will be the first President to complete his term, for the first time since the independence of Guinea-Bissau in 1974, were both encouraging steps towards political stability. However, the country continues to face many challenges, including the need to clarify the constitutional separation of powers, fight the illegal trafficking of narcotics and undertake institutional reforms of the defence, security and justice sectors.
“After several years of long-term investment in the stability of Guinea-Bissau, it is time to consolidate and reap the dividends of our concerted efforts. It is vital that we accompany this process to its completion,” Modibo Ibrahim Touré, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Guinea-Bissau told the UN Security Council 14 February 2018. Touré stressed the importance for the Council to continue to reaffirm the centrality of the Conakry Agreement, reiterating its support to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its mediation efforts.
According to the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), Guinea-Bissau has been plagued by chronic political instability since gaining independence in 1974. The DPA provides support and oversight to the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office for Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), a special political mission first established in 1999 following a two-year civil war in the country. Since mid-2016, the Mission was headed by Touré. The main priorities of UNIOGBIS were to support efforts to consolidate constitutional order, further political dialogue and national reconciliation, encourage security sector reform, and promote respect for human rights and the rule of law.
On political developments, Touré said President Jose Mario Vaz dismissed former Prime Minister Umaro Sissoco Embaló and replaced him with Artur Silva. “The absence of a functioning and stable Government for more than three years has limited the ability of UNIOGBIS to effectively and sustainably implement some of its mandated tasks,” said Touré.
The Conakry Agreement of 14 October 2016 provides for, among other things, the appointment of a consensual Prime Minister. Guinea-Bissau, in an official decree announced 26 April 2018 a new government comprising 18 ministers and eight secretaries of state. It was led by the new Prime Minister, Aristides Gomes, who doubles as Economy and Finance Minister. The new cabinet’s main mission was to organize parliamentary elections, and to revive the Cashew Campaign, which had been on the rocks.
Until the completion of the electoral cycle in 2019, Guinea-Bissau remained a country that required a dedicated UN presence to prevent a further deterioration in the political and security situation at the national level and to avoid any negative spill-over to its neighbours and creating a fertile environment for trafficking to thrive, he noted. “It will be important for the United Nations to remain engaged in peacebuilding efforts in the country while supporting ECOWAS intervention to resolve the political crisis for at least one more year,” he said.
Lastly, throughout the year, the presence of ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau had consistently acted as a deterrent to unauthorized military action and a stabilizing factor in the country, he said, calling on the Council and international donors to support the continued presence of ECOMIB through to the holding of a presidential election in 2019, including by advocating for the renewal of its mandate and the provision of the financial support needed to maintain its deployment.
President Jose Mario Vaz named a new prime minister on 29 October 2019 but his sacked predecessor refused to step down, intensifying a bitter power struggle between Vaz and the ruling party weeks ahead of a presidential election. Vaz, who was running for again in the Nov. 24 poll, dissolved the government, saying the political situation was undermining the normal functioning of state institutions in the West African country. Vaz named as prime minister Faustino Fudut Imbali, who served in the same post from 2000-2003 and represents the small Manifest Party of the People.
President Jose Mario Vaz was the first democratically-elected president in Guinea-Bissau's history to finish his term. He was up for re-election on 24 November 2019, but faced stiff competition from several opponents, including former prime ministers Carlos Gomes, Jr. and Domignos Simoes Pereira. Twelve candidates - all men - were running for president. Other main contenders included Umaru Sissoko Embalo, the candidate for MADEM-15, a new party that sprouted up during the political stalemate, and Nunu Nabiam, the candidate for PRS opposition party, which usually enjoys the support of the Balanta community, the second largest ethnic group in Guinea Bissau.
Incumbent President Jose Mario Vaz failed to make it to the second round after a five-year term marred by regular high-level sackings, a barely functioning parliament and weeks of turmoil in the run-up to the first-round ballot. First-round results showed Pereira winning 40 percent of the vote and Embalo trailing with 27 percent. Voters in Guinea-Bissau began casting ballots on 29 December 2019 in a run-off presidential election pitting two former prime ministers who both promise to bring stability to the turbulent West African nation. Both candidates in the showdown said that if elected they will work to overcome a long-running political impasse and modernise the country of 1.6 million people, which has suffered nine coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974. The ruling PAIGC party's Domingos Simoes Pereira, 56, was seen as the front-runner after winning the first round on Nov. 24 with 40%. His opponent, Umaro Cissoko Embalo, 47, came second with 28% despite being a relative political newcomer, and political analysts say the run-off race could be close.
Ex-general and former PM Embalo won the runoff presidential election in the turbulent West African country. But a dispute from the ruling party candidate could throw the country into extensive political chaos. The ex-army general and former prime minister won a December 29 runoff with 53.55% of the vote against 46.45% for another former prime minister, Domingos Simoes Pereira. Pereira, the ruling PAIGC party's candidate, said the vote was marked by "irregularities, annulment and manipulation, which [constitutes] electoral fraud" and that he would file a complaint to the Supreme Court.
Former Prime Minister Umaro Sissoco Embaló was declared the winner of a run-off vote held on 29 December, beating rival Domingos Simões Pereira, another ex-Prime Minister. UN Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas praised the successful conduct of the poll and the peaceful atmosphere throughout the process. “The Special Representative commends the two candidates for their magnanimity and grace in accepting the results, and urges all party supporters to continue to show maturity and exercise restraint in the post-election period”, according to a statement issued on Wednesday following his three-day visit to the country.
The National Electoral Commission of Guinea-Bissau confirmed ex Prime Minister, Cissoko Embalo as winner of the Presidential elections. According to local media, the Supreme Court held back the results, calling for a scrutiny of the polls – a decision which did not sit well with the contestants. The call came from the Supreme Court after the electoral commission had tallied the final results which showed Embalo in the lead with 54% of total votes cast. His closest rival, Domingos Simones Pereira had 46% of total votes. The commission issued a statement regarding the final decision of the Supreme Court; “The Supreme Court ruling has been scrupulously followed. All that remains to do was follow the swearing-in procedure. the statement said 22 January 2020.
When the ruling party sought to challenge the election results for the third time at the Supreme Court, the military moved in. The ongoing dispute in Guinea-Bissau over December presidential election results cast a military shadow over the West African country. After rival parties both inaugurated different presidents, in late February 2020 troops occupied the Supreme Court building and shut down state broadcasters, raising concerns of a possible coup. The military oversaw the placement of ministers appointed by opposition Madem G15 party leader Umaro Cissoko Embalo, who won a surprise victory in December’s presidential election. Embalo asked the army chief of staff for troops to occupy "public institutions as well as radio and TV stations in order to enable the formation of the new cabinet and its installation in the state institutions." The military then went to the homes of the existing government of Aristides Gomes and confiscated the keys to government cars.
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