GUINEA-BISSAU
Parliamentary Chamber: Assembleia Nacional Popular

ELECTIONS HELD IN 1999

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Chamber:
  Assembleia Nacional Popular


Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):

  28 November 1999


Purpose of elections:

  Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament following the extension of the members' term of office (see below). General elections had previously been held in July 1994.


Background and outcome of elections:

  Shortly before general elections were due in mid-1998, civil war broke out in June after the army chief of staff, Gen. Ansumane Mané, was dismissed by President of the Republic Joao Bernardo Vieira of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC); the parliamentary term of four years was then extended. On 1 November 1998, the Abuja peace accord ended five months of rebellion and presidential and legislative elections were scheduled for March 1999. In February 1999, a temporary government of national unity headed by Prime Minister Francisco Fadul took office. Three months later, Gen. Mane, the rebel leader, ousted President Vieira and Mr. Malam Bacai Sanha, the then Speaker of the National People's Assembly, took his place on an interim basis.

The election campaign lasted from 6 to 26 November. Altogether 11 political parties contested the 102 parliamentary seats and 11 candidates vied for the presidency, all of the latter promising tranquility and prosperity for the country. Polling day itself - the second multi-party elections in the nation's history - marked the end of the recent transitional period to democracy and was supervised by numerous foreign observers from international organizations and national delegations. Logistical problems and rioting, resulting in some injuries, plagued the voting process. Final results gave the most Assembly seats to the Party for Social Renovation (PRS) with 37 seats, followed by the Guinea-Bissau Resistance (RGB) party and the left-wing PAIGC with 27 and 25 seats respectively; the presidency, for its part, was won by veteran opposition leader Koumba Yalla (PRS) over Mr. Sanha, who was supported by the PAIGC. The observers considered the polling fair and transparent.

On 28 January 2000, Mr. Jorge Malu, member of the Party for Social Renovation, was elected Speaker of the National People's Assembly.

STATISTICS
Round no 1 (28 November 1999): Elections results  
Number of registered electors 525 329

Round no 1: Distribution of seats  
Political Group Total Gain/Loss
Party for Social Renovation (PRS) 38 +26
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) 24 -38
Guinea-Bissau Resistance Party (RGB) 28 +9
Democratic Alliance (AD) 4 +4
Union for Change (UM) 3 -3
Social Democratic Party (PSD) 3 +3
Democratic Social Front (FDS) 1 +1
National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP) 1 +1

Distribution of seats according to sex:  
Men: 94
Women: 8
Percent of women: 7.84


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Copyright © 1999 Inter-Parliamentary Union