Freedom in the World 2016 - Guinea-Bissau

Freedom Status: Partly Free
Aggregate Score: 39
Freedom Rating: 5.0
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 5

Quick Facts

Capital: Bissau
Population: 1,788,000
GDP/capita: $567.80
Press Freedom Status: Partly Free
Net Freedom Status: N/A

OVERVIEW

In 2015, growing tensions between President José Mário Vaz and Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira resulted in the dismissal of the latter in August. After months of political uncertainty, a new government led by Carlos Correia of the ruling the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde (PAIGC) was appointed by the president in October. The new government's proposed budget was rejected in December 2015 and, if not confirmed in 2016, may lead to yet another government or new elections.

Corruption remains a major problem, bolstered by Guinea-Bissau's prominent role in international drug trafficking and by the government's limited resources to combat it. International donors, encouraged by successful elections in 2014, pledged some $1.2 billion to support economic and political stability in Guinea-Bissau in 2015.

POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

Political Rights: 16 / 40 (-1)

A. Electoral Process: 7 / 12 (-1)

Under the constitution, the 102 members of the National People's Assembly are elected by popular vote for four-year terms. The president is elected through a two-round system of voting for a term of five years.

A total of 13 candidates competed in the 2014 presidential election. In the first round, José Mário Vaz of PAIGC won 40.98 percent of the vote, while independent Nuno Gomes Nabiam followed with 24.79 percent. In the second round held in May, Vaz took the presidency by a landslide, winning 61.9 percent of the vote to Nabiam's 38.08 percent.

Fifteen parties competed in the 2014 legislative elections. PAIGC took 55 seats and was allocated two additional seats for diaspora representation, bringing its total to 57. The Party of Social Renewal (PRS) secured 41 seats; the Party for Democratic Convergence (PDC) took two seats; and the Party for a New Democracy (PND) and the Union for Change (UM) won one seat each.

Monitoring groups and local human rights organizations reported some instances of intimidation or beatings of election officials and candidates in the election period. One PRS candidate for the legislature was reportedly kidnapped by unknown armed assailants. Voting was otherwise relatively peaceful and transparent, and the 2014 elections were considered free and fair by international observers.

Vaz's August 2015 dismissal of the popular Pereira and his government was opposed by the population, the political class, and the international community, and sparked a political crisis. After the dismissal, Vaz unilaterally named Baciro Djá as the new prime minister, despite objections from the PAIGC. However, Djá's appointment was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, which ruled that the prime minister had to be selected by the party that won the most recent elections. In September, Vaz and the PAIGC agreed on Correia as the compromise new prime minister; Correia's government was sworn in the following month.

In February 2015, the members of the ad hoc Commission on Constitutional Reform took office in a ceremony chaired by the President of the National Assembly, Cipriano CassamaÌ?. The commission is expected to prepare for public consultation a revised draft constitution by February 2016. The National Assembly will then cast a final vote on adoption of a new constitution. In November 2015, the Technical Secretary of the Commission noted that significant progress had been made toward finalizing a draft.

B. Political Pluralism and Participation: 8 / 16

Dozens of political parties are active in Guinea-Bissau, and 13 of them competed in the 2014 legislative elections. The two largest parties are PAIGC and the PRS. Smaller parties such as the PCD are competitive but institutionally weak. In November 2014, Nabiam established a new party, the United People's Assembly-Democratic Party of Guinea-Bissau (APU-PDGB).

The limited capacity of the security and justice sectors leads to a lack of effective civilian oversight over the defense and security forces, which has frequently threatened the political process and the functioning of state institutions. The country's 2014 elections, held two years after a military coup, marked a significant improvement in democratic governance. The head of the armed forces, Biaguê Nan Tan, in 2014 publicly declared his intention to instill a commitment to constitutional order within the military, and managed to do so even during the political crisis that began in August 2015.

C. Functioning of Government: 1 / 12

Although the election of legislators and a president in 2014 marked a positive step toward accountability, the political situation in Guinea-Bissau was tense in 2015 due to disputes between Vaz and the PAIGC over the responsibilities assigned to the president in the constitution.

Weak governance, a strained economy, and widespread poverty have created an environment conducive to bureaucratic and large-scale corruption through all levels of the government and the military. Guinea-Bissau was ranked 158 out of 168 countries and territories surveyed in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index.

The government elected in 2014 has voiced commitment to fighting corruption and increasing transparency. However, in June 2015 the secretary of state for communities was detained due to his alleged involvement in selling diplomatic and service passports. In July, it was reported that the foreign minister was prevented from leaving the country pending investigation of his involvement in a fisheries deal with a Chinese company in 2013.

Civil Liberties: 23 / 60

D. Freedom of Expression and Belief: 10 / 16

Although the constitution provides for freedoms of speech and the press, these freedoms are often restricted. Journalists regularly face harassment and intimidation. In August 2015, the prime minister, Djá, dismissed the heads of the public television and radio broadcasters due to their coverage of the political crisis.

There are no reports that the government restricts access to the internet, but lack of infrastructure greatly limits penetration.

Religious freedom is legally protected and usually respected in practice. Academic freedom is similarly guaranteed and generally upheld.

E. Associational and Organizational Rights: 5 / 12

In general, the government does not interfere with the freedom of assembly as long as protesters secure the necessary authorizations. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are vocal in their opposition to human rights abuses and increased economic and social insecurity, and generally operate freely.

Workers are allowed to form and join independent trade unions, but few work in the wage-earning formal sector. The right to strike is protected, and government workers frequently exercise this right. Teachers went on strike for more than a month in late 2015, demanding better pay and work conditions.

F. Rule of Law: 3 / 16

Judges and magistrates are poorly trained, irregularly paid, and highly susceptible to corruption and political pressure. In March 2015, the Ministry of Justice launched a four-year justice reform program aimed at improving judicial independence and integrity, as well as access and delivery of justice. It remains to be seen whether the government will be able to secure sufficient donor funding to implement the program.

There are very limited material and human resources to conduct criminal investigations. Violence and homicides continue to pose serious problems. The UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office conducts regular monitoring of prisons. Problems reported include disregard for due process; lack of access to legal and medical assistance; severe overcrowding; poorly maintained physical infrastructure; and absence of potable water, toilets, and hygiene facilities.

Because of its weak institutions and porous borders, Guinea-Bissau has become a major transit point for cartels trafficking illegal narcotics to Europe. The armed forces and some state entities have been linked to drug trafficking, according to the UN Office for Drugs and Crime. In November 2015, Minister of Defense Adiato Nandigna noted that the Bijagós archipelago was a trouble spot and that Guinea-Bissau requires continued international cooperation to combat transnational organized crime.

In July 2015, the military placed Rear Admiral José Zamora Induta, who headed the army from 2009-10 and is suspected of leading a plot to overthrow the government in 2012, under house arrest and transferred him to the army barracks in Mansoa in September. In November, the Supreme Military Court ruled that the military tribunal that had ordered Induta's arrest had no jurisdiction. Induta was allowed to leave the barracks but could not leave the country, after the prosecutor general charged him with terrorism, homicide, and trying to subvert the country's constitutional order.

No laws prohibit same-sex sexual activity, but social taboos and discrimination against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people persist.

G. Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights: 5 / 16

Illegal exploitation of timber and fish, which increased following the 2012 coup, has caused extensive environmental damage in Guinea-Bissau. During an extraordinary session in 2013, the National People's Assembly called on the government to urgently address the rapid depletion of the few remaining forests and related ecosystems in the country. Despite a five-year moratorium approved in mid-2015, some 20,000 hectares of forest are reportedly being cut down each year, primarily by an international criminal gangs.

Women face significant traditional and societal discrimination, despite some legal protections. They generally do not receive equal pay for equal work, have fewer opportunities in education and employment, and face some restrictions in inheritance and ownership matters. According to a 2015 UN Security Council report, 34 percent of girls are subjected to forced marriage in Guinea-Bissau. Local NGOs estimate that 80 percent of those cases occur in the eastern regions.

A 2011 law banned female genital mutilation and established penalties of up to five years in prison for violators. Since its enactment, three cases have been prosecuted under the law. In parallel, there have been efforts to proactively change habits. In May 2015, 10 female cutters (fanatecas) committed at a public ceremony organized by a local NGO to abandoning female genital mutilation and to report any known cases.

The parliament passed a law in 2013 that criminalized domestic violence and established support centers for women. However, many victims do not press charges due to mistrust of the police or courts. Nevertheless, in June 2015 the first domestic violence case was brought to court under the new law.

Trafficking in persons, especially children, is a serious problem, although there is some NGO activity to combat the practice and return trafficked persons to their homes. In 2014, the Association of the Friends of Children of Guinea-Bissau declared that it had been involved in 108 cases of child trafficking in 2014, 76 of which involved crossing the border into Senegal. The latter remains a major destination for child trafficking.

Scoring Key: X / Y (Z)

X = Score Received
Y = Best Possible Score
Z = Change from Previous Year