Guinea-Bissau voters back a sweeping power shift, boosting the president and shrinking parliament

Guinea-Bissau residents have voted to shift power towards the president and reduce the size of the country's parliament, according to electoral authorities. The referendum took place on Sunday following a push for constitutional changes ahead of the December elections aimed at restoring democracy to the West African nation. However, opposition parties had urged voters to boycott the referendum, arguing it would empower the president further.

Guinea-Bissau has experienced multiple coups since 2020, with the military seizing control in November last year following a disputed election.

The referendum resulted in 70% of voters supporting the changes, while 30% opposed them. The National Electoral Commission reported that the changes would weaken the role of the prime minister, who jointly holds the top position with the president in a semi-presidential system. The ruling military government attributed this instability to the system. Additionally, the referendum reduced the number of legislative seats from 102 to 65.

Despite being home to the highest proportion of natural wealth per capita among West African countries, over half of Guinea-Bissau's population of around 2.2 million people still lives in poverty, according to World Bank data.