The Government of Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Guinea-Bissau, it was the country is partly named after the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea; the name itself is derived from the Tuareg word aginaw, meaning "black people;" Bissau, the name of the capital city, distinguishes the country from neighboring Guinea and is derived from the local Bijuga people. The Government system in this country is the semi-presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama/Bijagos, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali

National symbols

Black star; national colors: red, yellow, green, black.

The flag

The National flag of Guinea-Bissau has two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; a black five-pointed star is centered in the red band; yellow stands for the sun, green for hope, red for blood shed during the struggle for independence; the black star stands for African unity.

note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the Ghanaian flag heavily influenced the design

The National Anthem

Title	"Esta e a Nossa Patria Bem Amada" (This Is Our Beloved Country)
Lyric/music	Amilcar Lopes CABRAL/XIAO He

note: adopted 1974; a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China in 1963 and heard music by XIAO He; Amilcar Lopes CABRAL, the leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement, asked the composer to create a piece that would inspire his people to struggle for independence

More about the government of Guinea-Bissau

Constitution
Date of Independence	24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)
National holiday	Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Legal system	mixed system of civil law, which incorporated Portuguese law at independence; influenced by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), African Francophone Public Law, and customary law
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Promulgated 16 May 1984
Amendment process	Proposed by the National People’s Assembly if supported by at least one third of its members, by the Council of State (a presidential consultant body), or by the government; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government and national sovereignty cannot be amended
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	yes
Citizenship by descent only	yes
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	5 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Umaro Sissoco EMBALO (since 27 February 2020)
Head of government	Prime Minister Rui Duarte DE BARROS (since 20 December 2023)
Cabinet	Cabinet nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for up to 2 consecutive 5-year terms; election last held on 24 November 2019 with a runoff on 29 December 2019 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the National People's Assembly
Election results	2019: Umaro Sissoco EMBALO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Domingos Simoes PEREIRA (PAIGC) 40.1%, Umaro Sissoco EMBALO (Madem G15) 27.7%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM (APU-PDGB) 13.2%, Jose Mario VAZ (independent) 12.4%, other 6.6%; percent of vote in second round - Umaro Sissoco EMBALO 53.6%, Domingos Simoes PEREIRA 46.5% 2014: Jose Mario VAZ elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jose Mario VAZ (PAIGC) 41%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM (independent) 25.1%, other 33.9%; percent of vote in second round - Jose Mario VAZ 61.9%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM 38.1% (2019)
Legislative branch
Legislature name	People's National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular)
Legislative structure	Unicameral
Number of seats	102 (all directly elected)
Electoral system	Proportional representation
Scope of elections	Full renewal
Term in office	4 years
Most recent election date	6/4/2023
Parties elected and seats per party	Inclusive Alliance Platform/Terra Coalition (54); Movement for Democratic Alternation (MADEM G.15) (29); Party for Social Renewal (PRS) (12); Bissau-Guinean Workers’ Party (6); Other (1)
Percentage of women in chamber	9.8%
Expected date of next election	November 2025
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (consists of 9 judges and organized into Civil, Criminal, and Social and Administrative Disputes Chambers)
Judge selection and term of office	Judges nominated by the Higher Council of the Magistrate, a major government organ responsible for judge appointments, dismissals, and judiciary discipline; judges appointed by the president for life
Subordinate courts	Appeals Court; regional (first instance) courts; military court
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Maria Da Conceição NOBRE CABRAL (since 18 September 2024)
Chancery	918 16th Street, NW (Mezzanine Suite) Washington DC 20006
Telephone	[1] (202) 872-4222
FAX	[1] (202) 872-4226
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Michael RAYNOR (since 20 April 2022)
Mailing address	2080 Bissau Place, Washington DC 20521-2080
Email address and website	dakarACS@state.gov https://gw.usmission.gov/