Guinea Bissau

Elections are less than a week away in Guinea Bissau, where residents are hoping to emerge from years of political stagnation. … President Jose Mario Vaz is the first democratically-elected president in Guinea-Bissau's history to finish his term.

Guinea-Bissau’s newly appointed Prime Minister Faustino Fudut Imbali handed in his resignation on Friday after an ultimatum was given by West African regional bloc ECOWAS, the president said.

The U.N. Security Council on Monday joined regional voices calling for restraint and dialogue to end the latest political crisis in the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau. Guinea-Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz triggered the latest escalation in an ongoing power struggle with the ruling PAIGC (African Party of the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) party, of which he was once a member.

Guinea-Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz named a new prime minister on Tuesday but his sacked predecessor refused to step down, intensifying a bitter power struggle between Vaz and the ruling party weeks ahead of a presidential election.

Since the inauguration of Guinea-Bissau’s new Government in July, the political arena has been dominated by preparation for presidential elections, the assistant chief for UN peacekeeping operations in Africa told the Security Council on Tuesday, briefing members on the state of the nation, and the UN peacebuilding office there (UNIOGBIS).

Guinea Bissau has been plunged into a power vacuum after the president's term ended on Sunday without a government in place despite the naming of Aristides Gomes as prime minister. President José Mário Vaz is now blackmailing Parliament to extend his reign until November 24 when elections are scheduled in exchange for him approving a new government to run the country.

The UN’s Deputy Special Representative in the West African state of Guinea-Bissau, has congratulated politicians, voters and officials across the country for the peaceful conduct of Sunday’s national assembly elections. … Last month, the Security Council approved a resolution which will see the closure of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau, UNIOGBIS, by the end of 2020.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) … has approved the deployment of a Short-Term Election Observation Mission (STO) to the Republic of Guinea -Bissau to observe the country's legislative elections scheduled for the 10th of March 2019.