Guinea-Bissau votes to reshape presidency
The West African nation's military government wants to amend the constitution to give more powers to the president. The junta, which seized power last year, says it will hold elections in December.
Guinea-Bissau held a referendum on Sunday to potentially grant the president expanded powers as the country moves towards democratic rule. With a population of approximately 2.2 million, the West African nation has been under military control since November following a contentious election. The junta in charge has approved a constitutional amendment to transition from a parliamentary to a presidential system.
This change would enable the president to appoint and dismiss the prime minister, as well as dissolve parliament. If approved, the new constitution would reduce the number of parliamentary seats from 102 to 65. The junta asserts that these reforms aim to stabilize institutions before scheduled December 6 elections, which will see civilian leaders take power.
However, opposition groups have called for a boycott, alleging that the vote would allow the junta leader to solidify his authority and term it as a source of political instability. Polls closed at 5:00 PM GMT on Sunday, with provisional results expected to be released the following day. With one of the world's poorest nations experiencing five coups since 1974, the upcoming vote could significantly impact the country's political future.
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