The government of Guinea-Bissau announced this Sunday that it will update the voter lists with the aim of holding early legislative elections on dates that will allow elections to be called only during the rainy season.
The President of the Republic, Umaro Sissoko Embalo, has promised to call new legislative elections on February 21 before the rainy season, which begins in June.
The Minister of Territorial Administration and Local Government, Marciano Barbeiro, announced this Sunday that the renewal of voter lists for the purpose of early legislative elections will take place from March 25 to May 25 in Guinean territory and from April 25 to June 25. on the territory of Guinea.diaspora.
Given the dates announced this Sunday, the voter information process will only be completed during the rainy season, and only after this process will it be possible to set a date for early legislative elections, which follows the dissolution of Parliament by the President of the Republic in December, declaring the existence of a serious institutional crisis in the country .
At a press conference, the minister of territorial administration announced that Guinea-Bissau would update its electoral rolls for the first time since it adopted multi-party democracy in the early 1990s.
Until now, the official emphasized, during each election process a fundamental census of potential voters was carried out, which, according to him, entails “great costs” for the country.
For the process announced this Sunday, Marciano Barbeiro said that 2.5 billion CFA francs (about 3.8 million euros) will be required, which will be guaranteed by the Guinean government and “the partners and friends of Guinea-Bissau.”
Director General of the Electoral Process Support Authority (GTAPE), Djibril Balde, noted that the update of the voter lists will affect Guinean citizens who will turn 18 from April, those who have lost their voter ID and people who have changed the constituency they were last in registered. .
Among those present at the press conference, the President of the National Civil Society Movement, Foday Karamba Sagna, praised the government’s initiative.
“The country has never updated voter lists, but carried out a new census, which is very expensive,” Sanya noted.
In Guinea’s most recent legislative elections, just over 890,000 potential voters were registered.
The decision of the Guinean head of state to dissolve parliament has been criticized by various political circles and civil society in the country, who consider it unconstitutional due to Article 94 of the same document, which states that parliament cannot be dissolved within 12 months after legislative elections organs. , which took place in June.