Guinea-Bissau holds referendum on presidential powers

Guinea-Bissau voted on Sunday in a referendum on whether to give the president new powers as the country prepares to transition from military to democratic rule.

The tiny West African nation of around 2.2 million people has been under army rule since last November following a disputed election.

What will the referendum decide?

Guinea-Bissau's junta has unanimously approved a constitutional amendment to switch the country from what it frames as a parliamentary to a presidential system.

This means abandoning the old system where the prime minister came from the parliamentary majority.

The amendment would allow the president to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and dissolve parliament.

If passed, the new constitution will cut the number of seats in parliament from 102 to 65.

The junta says the change seeks to stabilize institutions before new presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for December 6, which are meant to hand power back to civilians.

Opposition groups, however, have urged the public to boycott the vote, saying it will allow the junta leader to cement power and calling it a "source of political instability at all levels."

When are the results due?

Polls close at 1700 GMT on Sunday, with the first provisional results due from Tuesday.

One of the world's poorest countries, Guinea-Bissau has experienced five coups and a series of attempted coups since 1974.

A military government seized power in November following a disputed election in which former President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias both claimed victory.

After legislative elections in 2023, Embalo himself dissolved the opposition-dominated parliament in response to what he described as an attempted coup.