Guinea-Bissau legislative election, 2008
Encyclopedia
A parliamentary election was held on 16 November 2008 in Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....

. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde or PAIGC is a political party that governed Guinea-Bissau from the independence of the then Portuguese Guinea in 1974, until the late 1990s, and from 2004 to 2005. Currently it is the party with the largest number of seats in the...

 (PAIGC) won a majority of 67 out of 100 seats, while the Party for Social Renewal
Party for Social Renewal
The Party for Social Renewal is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. It is one of the country's leading parties and is currently the main opposition party....

 (PRS) won 28 seats.

Chronology

The head of the National Electoral Commission (CNE), El Hadj Malam Mané, said on December 8, 2007 that the election would be held between October 23 and November 25, 2008. On December 5, 2007, President João Bernardo Vieira
João Bernardo Vieira
João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira was the President of Guinea-Bissau from 1980 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2009. After seizing power in 1980, Vieira ruled for 19 years, and he won a multiparty presidential election in 1994. He was ousted at the end of the 1998–1999 civil war and went into exile...

 met with 35 party leaders, and 33 of them agreed to the CNE's date range; two parties, the National Unity Party
National Unity Party (Guinea-Bissau)
The National Unity Party is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. It was founded by Idrissa Djaló on July 26 2001.In the parliamentary election held on 28 March 2004, the party won 1.46% of the popular vote and no seats. In the 2005 presidential election, Djaló, running as the PUN candidate, won...

 and the Party for Democracy, Development and Citizenship (PADEC), disagreed, wanting the election to be held in March or April 2008.

At a rally in Gabu
Gabu
Gabu may refer to:* Gabú, a city in Guinea-Bissau* Gat Andrés Bonifacio University, a university in the Philippines...

 on July 17, 2007, President Vieira said that the election would be held together with the next presidential election in 2009 in order to save money, but the National People's Assembly
National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau
The unicameral National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau is the country's legislative body.The current National People's Assembly, formed following elections held on 28 March 2004, has a total of 102 seats. 100 members are elected through a system of party-list proportional representation...

 did not agree to this.

In a speech before the National People's Assembly on 24 March 2008, Vieira sharply criticized Prime Minister Martinho Ndafa Kabi
Martinho Ndafa Kabi
Martinho Ndafa Kabi was the Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau from 13 April 2007 to 5 August 2008. He is a leading member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ....

's government for not adequately preparing for the election, saying that "the government did not create the conditions to facilitate the holding of the legislative elections within the times required by the Constitution". He also noted that the Assembly's mandate would expire on 21 April 2008, four years after the previous election
Guinea-Bissau legislative election, 2004
A legislative election was held in Guinea-Bissau on March 28, 2004. The election had been repeatedly postponed due to political and financial chaos in the country, and due to the coup d'état which overthrew President Kumba Ialá in September 2003....

, and that afterwards the Assembly's work have to be handled solely by its Standing Committee. On 25 March, after consultations with political party representatives, civil society, the CNE, and foreign diplomats, Vieira decided on 16 November 2008 as the date of the election.

On 27 March, the Assembly voted to extend its mandate to November; of the 67 deputies present, 65 deputies voted in favor of the extension and two opposed it. The extension was viewed by many as a challenge to Vieira, since he had said that the Assembly's work would be handled solely by its Standing Committee after 21 April, and it provoked significant opposition. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde or PAIGC is a political party that governed Guinea-Bissau from the independence of the then Portuguese Guinea in 1974, until the late 1990s, and from 2004 to 2005. Currently it is the party with the largest number of seats in the...

 (PAIGC) opposed the extension, while the Social Renewal Party
Party for Social Renewal
The Party for Social Renewal is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. It is one of the country's leading parties and is currently the main opposition party....

 (PRS) and the United Social Democratic Party
United Social Democratic Party
The United Social Democratic Party is a centre-left social democratic political party in Guinea-Bissau.Former Prime Minister Francisco Fadul was elected as the President of the PUSD on 18 December 2002 at a party convention in Bissau....

 (PUSD) supported it. A group of 20 deputies who opposed the extension said on April 15 that the extension was a violation of the Constitution and that they would not participate in any parliamentary sessions after April 21; meanwhile, the Council of State asked the Assembly to reverse the extension. However, the Assembly voted to uphold the extension on 16 April, with 68 deputies in favor, seven opposed, and seven abstaining.

A meeting intended to assess the political situation was held on April 18 between Vieira, the government, the Assembly, and the Council of State. Subsequently, civil society organizations called for the resignation of Prime Minister Kabi, accusing him of making death threats against Fernando Gomis, a member of the Assembly, at this meeting. The organizations said that Kabi was unable to control his anger and as a result it was not appropriate for him to lead the government. Additionally, the organizations called on Vieira to not promulgate the extension of the parliamentary mandate, and they threatened to launch protests if Vieira did not dismiss Kabi's government and dissolve the Assembly.

On May 19, Vieira said that he had enacted the law providing for the extension of the parliamentary mandate. While remarking that those opposed to the extension were correct, he said that it was nevertheless necessary to approve it for the sake of peace and stability.

On April 1, speaking to representatives of international organizations and diplomats, Prime Minister Kabi called on the international community to assist in raising the 3.7 billion CFA franc
CFA franc
The CFA franc is the name of two currencies used in Africa which are guaranteed by the French treasury. The two CFA franc currencies are the West African CFA franc and the Central African CFA franc...

s required for the election's budget. He said that the Portuguese government had agreed to supply the necessary electoral material. Three months later, Cristian Nabitan, the Secretary of State for Administrative Reform, announced the approval of a large shipment of electoral materials from Portugal, including ballots, ballot boxes, voting booths, and indelible ink, on July 1; he said that this shipment represented 75% of the materials Guinea-Bissau needed for the election and that another shipment would arrive in Bissau on the next day. The materials were valued at about 41 million CFA francs. The Portuguese government also said that it would send electoral observers if asked to do so.
An electoral census began on 3 July 2008, scheduled to end on 23 July. In the early part of the registration period, the number of citizens registering was reportedly low, although Minister of the Interior Certório Biote said on July 9 that the process was going well. PRS President Kumba Ialá
Kumba Ialá
Kumba Ialá, also spelled Yalá , is a Guinea-Bissau politician who was President of Guinea-Bissau from 17 February 2000 until he was deposed in a military coup on 14 September 2003. He belongs to the Balanta ethnic group and is the President of the Social Renewal Party...

 returned to Bissau from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 on July 7, 2008 to register for the election. On this occasion, he predicted that the PRS would win the election with a majority of seats, and he called on every citizen "from 16 to 120 years old" to vote. In a speech to the nation a few days before the scheduled end of registration, Vieira also urged all citizens of voting age to register, and he said that the period could be extended to enable more people to register. It was subsequently announced on July 22 that the registration period would be extended to July 26 due to financial and logistical difficulties.

The government and the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...

 signed an electoral financing agreement on July 10, 2008, providing about $430,000 US dollars.

After Kabi dismissed the directors of customs, taxes and the treasury on July 25, 2008 without notifying PAIGC in advance, PAIGC decided to withdraw from the stability pact that was signed by PAIGC, the PRS, and the PUSD in March 2007. There were concerns that PAIGC's decision could cause instability that might negatively affect the election.

On August 1, the Supreme Court annulled the law extending the deputies' terms until the election. After consultations with the political class, civil society, and the Council of State, Vieira dissolved the National People's Assembly on August 5, leaving only its Standing Committee in place. He also appointed Carlos Correia
Carlos Correia
Carlos Correia is a Guinea-Bissau politician. He was Prime Minister from 27 December 1991 to 26 October 1994, from 6 June 1997 to 3 December 1998, and from 5 August 2008 to 25 December 2008....

—who was previously Prime Minister under Vieira from 1991 to 1994 and from 1997 to 1998—as Prime Minister on the same day, replacing Kabi. A new government headed by Correia was appointed on August 9. This government was dominated by Vieira loyalists and members of PAIGC, including PAIGC dissidents who were supporters of Vieira. The appointment of one of these PAIGC dissidents—Cipriano Cassamá
Cipriano Cassamá
Cipriano Cassamá is a politician in Guinea-Bissau and a member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde . He was Minister of the Interior from August 2008 to January 2009....

—as Minister of the Interior was deemed especially significant, due to the Interior Ministry's responsibility for the election. The PRS was given five posts in the government, while the Republican Party for Independence and Development (PRID) and the United People's Alliance (APU) were each given a single post.

Shortly after Correia's appointment, a coup plot allegedly led by the head of the navy, Rear Admiral Americo Bubo Na Tchuto, was said to have been thwarted. According to an army spokesman, Na Tchuto asked other senior officers to support his plot, which was planned to occur on August 7, but when he asked the chief of staff of the army to join the plot, the latter ordered Na Tchuto's arrest. Na Tchuto was placed under house arrest, but he escaped and fled to The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

, where he was arrested by the Gambian authorities on August 12.

On August 11, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...

 released a statement saying that he was "deeply concerned over the mounting political and security tensions in Guinea-Bissau" and calling "on all national stakeholders to work cooperatively and peacefully together in the national interest and in full respect of the rule of law".

An African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...

 pre-election assessment mission, led by Anil Gayan of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

, arrived in Bissau on August 18; the mission was intended to determine whether the appropriate conditions for holding the election existed. Members of the mission met with Prime Minister Correia on August 21, and Correia affirmed the government's intention to hold the election on schedule in November.

By law, candidate lists must be submitted at least 60 days before the election is held. As the available period entered its final week, Supreme Court President Maria do Ceu Silva Monteiro expressed concern on September 10 that none of the parties had submitted their lists to the National Electoral Commission or the Supreme Court, although 17 parties had stated their intention to participate in the election. 21 parties and coalitions submitted candidate lists by the end of the week and were approved by the Supreme Court. Lists submitted by 12 other parties were rejected because they were submitted an hour too late. The approved lists included two coalitions, the Democratic Alliance and the Alliance of Patriotic Forces, as well as two new parties, PRID (led by former Prime Minister Aristides Gomes
Aristides Gomes
Aristides Gomes is the President of the Republican Party of Independence for Development in Guinea-Bissau. He was the Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau from 2 November 2005 until 13 April 2007....

) and PADEC (led by former Prime Minister Francisco Fadul
Francisco Fadul
Francisco José Fadul is a Guinea-Bissau politician who was Prime Minister from 3 December 1998 to 19 February 2000. He led the United Social Democratic Party , one of the country's main political parties, from 2002 to 2006....

).

A European Union pre-election evaluation mission was sent to Guinea-Bissau, and on September 18, Prime Minister Correia held discussions with the mission about electoral preparations. The mission was led by Harro Adt, the Special Envoy of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union that rotates between the member states of the European Union every six months. The presidency is not a single president but rather the task is undertaken by a national...

 for the Mano River Basin, who expressed optimism regarding Guinea-Bissau's political situation.

After the National Election Registration Commission published the lists of registered voters, some citizens who had registered complained that they were not included on the lists. There were reportedly many errors in the lists, and the Interior Ministry promised to rectify the situation so that the final lists published by the CNE would be accurate.

In late September, PRS Vice-President Ibrahima Sori Djalo alleged that President Vieira and Prime Minister Correia were planning to delay the election until 2009, possibly using an epidemic of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...

 as a pretext. He also claimed that there were plans to rig the election in favor of PAIGC.

Campaigning

The CNE published the final list of 575 candidates on October 21. The electoral campaign period, scheduled to last 20 days, began a few days later. In an interview with the African Press Agency on October 24, CNE President Mané urged the candidates to "refrain from any form of electoral corruption or acts that may threaten national security or social order and unity". He said that candidates could face disqualification and legal action if they failed to heed the warning.

As part of its campaign, PAIGC said that it had a good relationship with President Vieira, and it used images of Vieira and PAIGC President Carlos Gomes Junior
Carlos Gomes Júnior
Carlos Domingos Gomes Júnior is the Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau. He was previously Prime Minister from 10 May 2004 to 2 November 2005, and he was again appointed to that post on 25 December 2008...

 together a few months earlier, raising their arms in a celebratory gesture, to illustrate this point. Vieira was reportedly unhappy about this use of his image in PAIGC's campaign.
Drug trafficking, which is a major problem in Guinea-Bissau, has been a key issue in the election campaign, as parties have accused each other of involvement in the drug trade and taking money from cartel
Cartel
A cartel is a formal agreement among competing firms. It is a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production. Cartels usually occur in an oligopolistic industry, where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products...

s in order to finance their campaigns. According to observers, the state's ability to crack down on the drug trade is very limited, and some have described Guinea-Bissau as a narco-state. Gomes Junior said at a PAIGC rally on October 29 that "only blind people cannot see that certain parties are financed with drug money". PRID President Aristides Gomes pointed to a seizure of cocaine made in September 2006, during his tenure as Prime Minister, in order to bolster his party's image with respect to the drug trade; that cocaine seizure was marred, however, by the subsequent disappearance of the cocaine. PRS President Kumba Yala accused Vieira of trafficking drugs, describing him as the foremost drug trafficker in Guinea-Bissau. Vieira did not reply to Yala's claim.

On November 15, Johan van Hecke, the head of the European Union's observer mission, praised the CNE for its "remarkable work" and expressed his view that the country was "ready for the elections". He was, however, critical of the government's unwillingness to let the CNE have financial independence, and he also stated that it was "not exactly clear" whether appeals regarding the election's results should go to the CNE or the Supreme Court.

Election day, release of results, and subsequent events

On election day, November 16, polling stations opened at 7:00 in the morning and were scheduled to close at 5:00 in the afternoon. Johan van Hecke estimated turnout to be around 70 to 80 per cent, and there were no incidents reported, raising hopes of a stabilisation of the situation. At a meeting with electoral observers on November 17, UN special envoy Shola Omoregie described the election as a "milestone for Guinea Bissau" and a "victory for democracy". He also remarked that the election was "conducted on the whole in a transparent and orderly manner without any political or military interference".

Provisional results released by the CNE on November 21 showed PAIGC winning 67 out of 100 seats, while the PRS won 28, PRID won three, the National Democratic Party won one, and the Democratic Alliance won one. The CNE placed turnout at 82%. Yala, the PRS President, disputed these results and alleged fraud. Final results were announced on November 26; the number of seats for each party in the final results was identical to the numbers in the provisional results.

Rebellious soldiers attacked President Vieira's home in the early hours of November 23. The soldiers fired artillery at the house and were able to enter it during a three-hour battle with Vieira's guards, but they were repelled without ever reaching Vieira, who was in the house at the time but was unharmed. Two of Vieira's guards were killed in the attack. Vieira held a press conference later in the day, in which he said that the attack had "a single objective — to physically liquidate me", while also asserting that "the situation is under control". UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...

 expressed concern and urged the rebellious soldiers to "refrain from any measures that could further destabilize the country", while Shola Omoregie said that it was "unacceptable that after legitimate elections they could attack the president and try to kill him." PAIGC President Gomes Junior said that problems in the 21st century should not be settled through violence. The government alleged that Alexandre Tchama Yala was behind the attack, while also asserting that the Tchama Yala and some of the participants in the attack were linked to Bubo Na Tchuto, who was arrested in The Gambia in August but was later released.

On December 3, Senegal said that it had arrested Alexandre Tchama Yala. The government of Guinea-Bissau stated on December 6 that he had been arrested in The Gambia, however; in addition, it said that Alfredo Malu, a former deputy director of intelligence who was thought to be an associate of PRS President Kumba Yala, had been arrested. The government also announced on December 6 that all public demonstrations were banned for the time being due to insecurity. Alfredu Malu was quickly released due to lack of evidence.

At a meeting of the PAIGC Central Committee on December 6, PAIGC Second Vice-President Raimundo Pereira
Raimundo Pereira
Raimundo Pereira is a Guinea-Bissauan politician and lawyer who has been the President of the National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau since December 2008. A member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde , he served as President of Guinea-Bissau in an interim capacity...

 was elected as the party's candidate for the post of President of the National People's Assembly, defeating Francisco Benante
Francisco Benante
Francisco Benante is a politician in Guinea-Bissau and a member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde . He was President of PAIGC from 1999 to 2002 and President of the National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau from 2004 to 2008.Benante is a lawyer by profession...

 (who held the post during the previous parliamentary term) and Hélder Proença
Helder Proença
Helder Proença was a Guinea-Bissauan politician who served as the country's former Minister of Defense during the administration of former President João Bernardo Vieira...

. Benante criticized the outcome, arguing that the voting method used by the Central Committee was illegal, while Proença vowed to stand as a candidate when the vote was held in the National People's Assembly, despite the party's decision.

The Supreme Court rejected requests for the annulment of results in some constituencies on December 17. Following the Supreme Court's decision, Yala accepted PAIGC's victory at a press conference on December 18, saying that the PRS would act as a constructive opposition.

On December 22, the newly elected deputies were sworn in and Raimundo Pereira was elected as President of the National People's Assembly. He received 60 votes, while Proença received 37. In accordance with the results of the election, Vieira appointed PAIGC President Carlos Gomes Junior as Prime Minister on December 25. Gomes said on this occasion that his government would focus on "good governance and a reform of the justice system" and that he and Vieira would "put aside any personal differences" in order to work towards solving the country's problems.

The government headed by Gomes was appointed on January 7, 2009, with 21 ministers and 10 secretaries of state; all of the government's 31 members were members of PAIGC. Only four members of the previous government under Correia were retained.
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