Skip to main content
Menu Menu Close
Asia and the Pacific
Western Asia
Flag

Guinea-Bissau

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

August 2025

Guinea-Bissau shuts down Portuguese media outlets and expels journalists

On 15 August, Guinea-Bissau’s government ordered the suspension of RTP África, RDP África and Agência Lusa—three major Portuguese-language media outlets—and gave their staff until 19 August to leave the country. No official reason was provided, though Prime Minister Braima Camará said the outlets ‘must understand Guinea-Bissau is a sovereign country.’ The move comes three months before presidential elections and follows previous incidents of harassment against journalists. Portugal condemned the decision as ‘unjustifiable,’ while local and international press freedom groups, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, denounced it as an attack on media pluralism and the right to information.

Sources: O Democrata, Media for West Africa, Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, Deutsche Welle, Barron’s

February 2025

Supreme Court rules on presidential mandate amid election delay

On 3 February, Guinea-Bissau’s Supreme Court ruled that President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s mandate expires on 4 September, contradicting opposition claims that it ended on 27 February. The court based its decision on the date it officially confirmed Embaló as president in 2020, while the opposition argues his term should be counted from 26 February 2020, when he staged his own inauguration in a Bissau hotel. On 23 February, the government announced that both presidential and parliamentary elections—originally set for November 2024—would be held on 30 November 2025. Opposition groups accused Embaló of attempting to extend his rule beyond the legal term limit and called for a nationwide strike on 27 February, though turnout was low. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations (UN) attempted mediation between 23 and 28 February but failed to reach a consensus on the electoral calendar.

Sources: International IDEA, Reuters, International Crisis Group, Africa Confidential

November 2024

Elections postponed indefinitely

On 4 November, Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embaló announced the indefinite suspension of legislative elections originally scheduled for 24 November. Citing logistical and financial constraints, the president argued that the country was unprepared to hold a credible vote. Critics, however, viewed the move as a strategy to prolong his administration’s tenure and avoid political accountability. The country has been without a parliament since December 2023, when President Embaló dissolved the National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular) following an alleged coup attempt.

Update: On 23 February 2025, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló announced that parliamentary and presidential elections would take place on 30 November 2025.

Sources: Jeune Afrique, Business Day, News 24, Punch, News Central, International IDEAReutersInternational Crisis Group

December 2023

President dissolves legislature following alleged coup attempt

Guinea-Bissau is again without a functioning legislature, only six months after the most recent elections. President Umaro Sissoco Embaló issued a decree on 4 December ordering the National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular) dissolved, following a violent confrontation between the elements of the presidential guard and the National Guard that the President described as an attempted coup d’état. The June election was won by the opposition coalition PAI-Terra Ranka, led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde, PAIGC), resulting in a partisan division between the President and the cabinet. The incident that triggered this decree involved the arrest of two members of the cabinet on charges of corruption, and an attempt on the part of members of the National Guard to free them. President Embaló had also dissolved the previous legislature in February 2022 following an attempted coup.

Sources: Africa News, Radio France Internationale, France24

See all event reports for this country

Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2024

Chevron
Representation
151/173
Rights
126/173
Rule of Law
135/173
Participation
68/173

Basic Information

Chevron
Population Tooltip
2 153 339
System of government
Semi-Presidential system
Head of government
Prime Minister Braima Camará (since 2025)
Head of government party
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
9.8 %
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
4.05
Head of state
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
02/05/2025
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
Outcome of review pending
Tooltip text

Human Rights Treaties

Chevron
State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
State Party
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
Signatory
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
State Party
in
Tooltip text

Create your monthly alerts

and receive a customized selection of reports directly in your inbox

Sign up

Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Mar 2025
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug 2025
Representation neutral Rights
Mar 2025
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug 2025
Representation neutral Rule of law
Mar 2025
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug 2025
Representation neutral Participation
Mar 2025
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug 2025

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

0 10