BY ALEX ADI
A high-level political mission will be deployed to Bissau from February 23 to 28, 2025, to support national efforts towards peace and stability. The deployment details were announced by the President of the ECOWAS Commision H.E. Dr Omar Alieu TOURAY i
The mission is in line with the directive of the 66th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government held on 15th December 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, to “deploy a high-level political mission to the country to support efforts by the political actors and stakeholders towards political consensus on the electoral calendar”.
Tensions have been rising within Guinea-Bissau’s political landscape. The opposition insists that legislative and presidential elections must occur in 2024, aligning with the Constitution. They argue that Sissoco Embaló’s term, which began with his swearing-in on February 27, 2020, ends on February 27, 2025.
However, the political crisis escalated after Sissoco Embaló dissolved Parliament in December 2023, a move that the opposition claims violated the Constitution’s 12-month minimum timeframe following legislative elections. Embaló subsequently dismissed the government and scheduled early legislative elections for November 24, only to later postpone them indefinitely.
The situation has left Guinea-Bissau’s governance in disarray. The current government operates under presidential authority, while the parliament remains inactive following Embaló’s replacement of its president. Compounding the crisis, the National Electoral Commission has reached the end of its term, and the Supreme Court of Justice, which also serves as the Constitutional Court, lacks the quorum needed to function—two critical institutions for overseeing the electoral process.
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