Guinea Bissau: ECOWAS hails vote seeking end to instability

Under the current political system, the majority party or coalition appoints the government, but the president can dismiss it in certain circumstances.

Observers have commended legislative elections held in Guinea Bissau on Sunday called by a president pushing constitutional change after years of instability in the tiny West African state. Nearly 900,000 voters were registered to vote, and results are expected on Tuesday.

Praise from election observers 

According to the National Election Commission, around 200 observers were in Guinea-Bissau to oversee the vote. They included an ECOWAS mission led by former Cape Verdean President Jorge Carlos Fonseca, an African Unionmission headed by former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, and a mission from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries led by the former Timorese vice-minister of foreign affairs, Alberto Carlos.

 The head of the ECOWAS election observation mission, Jorge Carlos Fonseca, told DW that he was pleased with what he saw on the ground. He praised the civism of the Guinean voters demonstrated throughout the voting.

'Everything was normal' - Electoral observer

 "Despite the difficulties, the polling stations worked well, as material, urns, privacy screens, indelible ink, and people presenting their voter cards. Everything was normal," Fonseca said. He noted that the percentage of failures was small, adding that more than 93% of the polls opened on time, at 7 am. 

"This is fantastic! So I saw a lot of good things. But on the other hand, some failures have to do with the country's resources."

Rui Jorge Semedo, from the Electoral Monitoring Cell of Civil Society, said the group had found no "serious incidents" that could affect the vote's credibility.

 "The process has been going well, except for a few situations that we registered involving the swapping of voters' lists and the absence of voters' names in certain districts," Jorge Semedo told DW. 

"We have not been able to report any meaningful incidents from the point of view of violating the country's electoral regulations."

 Awaiting election results amid opposition complaints

"As far as we have been able to ascertain, the progress of the process is normal. Unfortunately, however, we cannot say anything regarding results because we are not in the position to do so."

Despite a clean bill of health given to the electoral process, the president of the Party for Social Renewal (PRS), Fernando Dias, said that his party had noted the circulation of fake voting cards and the absence of voters' names on the voting lists.

"Voters' names were missing, and we are having difficulty understanding why this has happened. We also noted the issuing of fake cards, one individual with two cards," Dias said.

Military accused of bias 

"We have seen an enticement of the military about where they should vote. This is something we consider abnormal. So we are following this situation to identify its causes.

 However, ECOWAS's Fonseca said, "It is normal to have complaints, and there are no perfect elections anywhere. But, hopefully, when they close the polls and the results are released, the parties will accept them."

A fragmented political scene

Guinea-Bissau, which gained independence in 1974 after a bloody war against Portugal, has had 22 prime ministers and three military coups since the advent of multi-party elections in 1994.

The leading party has traditionally been the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which spearheaded the country's liberation struggle almost six decades ago. But it is now in opposition, despite having the largest number of seats.

Breakaway blocs such as the Movement for Democratic Change (Madem-G15) mean the political landscape is more fragmented than ever, with 22 parties competing for votes.

"There will be no winner with an absolute majority in these elections. It is impossible," said Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam.

"No party is ready to govern Guinea-Bissau alone."

What are the key election issues?

A key political debate in Guinea-Bissau is whether to keep the current semi-presidential system or to change the constitution and move to a system where the president is also the head of government.

Under the current system, the largest party or coalition in parliament appoints the government, but the president has the power to dismiss it in certain circumstances, which has led to political deadlocks in the past.

President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Madem-G15 dissolved parliament last year and has attracted criticism for appointing his own government officials without oversight.

He advocates for changing the constitution to give himself more powers.

Critics of Embalo say he has cracked down on civic freedoms and curtailed the free press.

The country's economy often hinges on the volatile price of cashew nuts, but a booming drug smuggling trade connecting South America with Europe has also plagued Guinea-Bissau and its political sphere for many years.

Several candidates had complained of difficulties in obtaining the correct accreditation and transport permits to attend polling stations.

The leader of the African Party for Peace and Social Stability, Ulisses Monteiro, told Portugal's Lusa news agency that four candidates were "brutally attacked" by members of a rival party on Sunday.

Fernando Dias, leader of the opposition Party for Social Renewal, has already threatened to protest in the streets in the event of electoral fraud to "defend the democratic truth of the ballot boxes."

zc/rs (Reuters, Lusa, AFP, AP)