Home West Africa Bissau-Guineans went to polls to elect a new Prime Minister

Bissau-Guineans went to polls to elect a new Prime Minister

33

(3 minutes read)

 

Bissau-Guineans voted on Sunday 4th June to renew the National Assembly, which was dissolved over a year ago, leading to political crises

Bissau-Guineans voted on Sunday 4th June to renew the National Assembly, which was dissolved over a year ago, leading to political crises.

Polling stations opened at 07:00 (GMT and local time). The 884,000 registered voters cast their ballots until 5:00 p.m.  This is a one-round proportional representation election, which will renew the 102 members of parliament.   Results are expected at least 48 hours later.

Guinea-Bissau suffers from chronic political instability.  It got independence from Portugal in 1974. Since then, the tiny country has been the victim of a string of coup attempts. The most recent coup took place in February 2022. There were around 200 international observers deployed in the country to monitor the vote. Twenty-two political parties are contesting the ballot, including the three that shared almost all the seats in the outgoing Assembly. They are Madem G15, President Embalo’s political family, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) founded by Amilcar Cabral, which has long dominated national politics, and the Social Renewal Party (PRS).

Read Also:

https://trendsnafrica.com/guinea-bissau-calls-for-parliamentary-elections/

https://trendsnafrica.com/guinea-bissau-president-links-failed-coup-attempt-to-drug-mafia/

https://trendsnafrica.com/guinea-bissau-to-hold-elections-amidst-political-crisis/

A new Prime Minister will be appointed after the vote. The country is facing chronic economic issues, affected by the consequences of the Covid crisis and the war in Ukraine. Unemployment is a major issue being faced by the country.