Guinea-Bissau votes on a stronger presidency: What’s at stake?

What the report says

Voters in Guinea-Bissau are scheduled to take part in a referendum on August 30 on a proposed new constitution that would expand presidential power and alter the country’s electoral and parliamentary system, according to Al Jazeera. The vote comes after the military takeover in November 2025 and ahead of presidential and legislative elections set for December 6. Transitional president General Horta Inta-A Na Man was installed after the coup, and the National Transitional Council later approved the draft text in January 2026.

The proposed changes would give the president greater authority over government formation, including appointing and dismissing the prime minister and other ministers, while also allowing the president to chair the Council of Ministers and reorganize ministries. The draft would reduce parliament from 102 seats to 65, cut the number of constituencies from 29 to 12, and impose stricter requirements on presidential candidates and the parties that back them. It would also create a Constitutional Court.

Supporters say the changes could reduce long-running institutional conflicts in a country that has faced repeated coups and political instability since independence from Portugal in 1974. Critics, including the PAIGC opposition party, argue that the plan concentrates too much power in the presidency and was written through a military-led process rather than by elected institutions. Al Jazeera says the referendum will help determine the constitutional rules under which Guinea-Bissau returns to elected government.