Which institutional bargain is being rewritten?
Guinea-Bissau is voting on a new constitution drafted by the National Transitional Council, attempting to replace an arrangement that has accompanied repeated coups since the country became independent from Portugal in 1973. The text strengthens the president's authority over the prime minister and cuts parliament from 102 to 65 seats. Where a spokesperson for the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde says the text weakens the prime minister and the government and subordinates the National People's Assembly, the authorities argue that clearer presidential authority ends the recurring conflict.[1]
Why does the military favour a singular authority?
The military government that took power in November last year after a disputed election views the inherited division of power as a structural flaw. The head of the armed forces, Tomas Djassi, put it as a village being able to have only one leader. This framing treats the constitutional design, rather than the armed forces that repeatedly intervene, as the source of the recurring conflict. If the December general election proceeds under this text, it will test whether centralising power can break the cycle of decay or merely changes the target of the next crisis.[1]