On May 16th, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau dissolved the nation’s parliament, justifying the decision by publicly accusing the Assembly of covering up member corruption and embezzling government funds. President Embaló plans to hold legislative elections on December 18th, 2022 and has kept both the prime minister and his deputy in power to help run the government until the institution of a new parliament. The declaration was made using presidential powers delegated in the Guinea-Bissau constitution, but the country’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice will review any constitutional challenges that may arise. 

Tensions between Embaló and the parliament run deep, with Embaló referencing “persistent and unresolvable differences” in his address regarding the parliament dissolution. Disagreements stem from the president’s election in 2019. He narrowly defeated Simões Pereira, the candidate of the majority African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), who then claimed the result was fraudulent and contested the result in court. The international community remained divided on the legitimacy of the election, but Embaló successfully claimed victory and installed a new cabinet. He was eventually recognized by most key bodies, including the Economic Community of West African States. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Embaló’s Madem G-15 party was unsuccessful in securing the majority from the PAIGC opposition. Presumably hoping for a different result later this year, President Embaló stated: “I have decided to give the floor back to the people of Guinea so that once again this year they can freely choose at the ballot box the Parliament they wish to have for an eleventh term.” 

It’s unclear whether the dissolution was prompted by specific and legitimate corruption allegations, though corruption has undeniably been problematic throughout the country’s history. The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Guinea-Bissau as the 18th most corrupt nation out of 180. Reportedly, civilian and military government figures participate in drug trafficking, providing cartels with access to the country and its transportation infrastructure. There aren’t effective legal provisions to facilitate public access to government information, enabling repeated, unexplained budget shortfalls. In 2020, no public officials had disclosed their personal finances, despite laws requiring them to do so. Embaló claims that the current parliament plays an active role in this problem, saying “the Tenth Legislature has turned the People’s National Assembly into a place of political guerrilla warfare and conspiracy.” This sentiment aligns with Embaló’s early presidential promises, where he vowed to follow a “zero-tolerance policy” towards international drug cartels, asserting that Guinea-Bissau shouldn’t be a “failed state.” However, many question Embaló’s sincerity in light of instances like his February 2020 firing of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights (Ruth Monteiro) and Director of the Judiciary Police (Filomena Lopes). Both men had been considered instrumental in anticorruption efforts and were praised by the United Nations.

Regardless of motivation, the dismembering of parliament is unsettling. Political upheaval, including 10 coups or attempted coups, has plagued the nation since its independence in 1974. Freedom House reports that organized crime linked to drug trafficking and money laundering has contributed to the country’s political instability, even influencing the choices of voters and politicians. Both candidates in 2019 — Embaló and Pereira — had served as prime ministers for former president José Mário Vaz, whose term was marked by infighting, an ill-functioning parliament, and corruption. Embaló’s own administration has already demonstrated willingness to bend norms, conducting his inauguration unconstitutionally. The handling of corruption through such turbulent measures undermines the ability to effectively handle anticorruption, instead producing counter-productive political agitation and precariousness. 

Guinea-Bissau’s chronic government dysfunction has perpetuated an environment which is hostile to economic development and individual freedoms. According to the State Department, human rights issues include significant acts of corruption, inhuman or degrading treatment, concerns regarding the independence of the judiciary, child labor, and lack of accountability for crimes of trafficking and violence against women and girls. Perpetrations by security forces, like arbitrary detention and extrajudicial punishment, go largely unchecked. As is true in many other post-colonial governments beset with military influence and corruption, citizens pay the price for unconventional and destabilizing tactics — even when taken in the name of progress. A renewed commitment to fostering reliable and trusted institutions has never been more critical.