Guinea-Bissau legislative election, 2008

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Guinea-Bissau
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Guinea-Bissau

President João Bernardo Vieira Prime Minister Martinho Ndafa Kabi National People's Assembly Elections Parl. 2004 Pres. 2005 Political Parties Regions Sectors Foreign relations
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A parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on 16 November 2008 in Guinea-Bissau.^[1]

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 met with 35 party leaders, and 33 of them agreed to the CNE's date range; two parties, the National Unity Party and the Party for Democracy, Development and Citizenship, disagreed, wanting the election to be held in March or April 2008.^[2]

President Vieira proposed in July 2007 that the election be held together with the next presidential election in 2009 in order to save money, but the National People's Assembly did not agree to this.^[2]

In a speech before the National People's Assembly on 24 March 2008, Vieira sharply criticized Prime Minister Martinho Ndafa Cabi'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, about four years after the previous election, and that afterwards the Assembly's work have to be handled 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.^[1]

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.^[3] The extension was viewed by many as a challenge to Vieira, since he had said that the Assembly's work would be handled by its standing committee after 21 April,^[4] and it provoked significant opposition. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) opposed the extension, while the Social Renewal Party (PRS) and the United Social Democratic Party (PUSD) supported it.^[5] 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;^[6] meanwhile, the Council of State asked the Assembly to reverse the extension.^[5] However, the Assembly voted to uphold the extension on 16 April, with 68 deputies in favor, seven opposed, and seven abstaining.^[4]

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 Cabi, accusing him of making death threats against Fernando Gomis, a member of the Assembly, at this meeting. The organizations said that Cabi 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 Cabi's government and dissolve the Assembly.^[7]

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.^[8]

On April 1, speaking to representatives of international organizations and diplomats, Prime Minister Cabi called on the international community to assist in raising the 3.7 billion CFA francs required for the election's budget. He said that the Portuguese government had agreed to supply the necessary electoral material.^[9]