Guinea-Bissau prime minister backs pact to restore democratic order
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Ang
Guinea-Bissau’s transitional Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té is advocating a national pact providing for consultations with all political actors to overcome the crisis and restore constitutional order. An ECOWAS mission led by Senegalese minister Cheikh Niang is to consult parties and civil society in search of a negotiated solution, according to the prime minister’s office.
The prime minister of Guinea-Bissau’s transitional government, Ilídio Vieira Té, has proposed a national reconciliation pact and electoral guarantees to restore constitutional and democratic order in Guinea-Bissau. He presented the initiative on Monday 26 October to a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Senegal’s Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Niang, according to the prime minister’s communications office, cited by the Guinea-Bissau News Agency (ANG).
The regional delegation is to consult political parties and civil society organisations in order to identify areas of convergence for a negotiated solution. Ilídio Vieira Té presented his “IVT Formula”, which provides for consultations with all political actors, notably the different factions of the Social Renewal Party (PRS) and MADEM-G15, separately and without excluding the role of the courts in their internal disputes.
The discussions also concern constitutional amendments approved by the National Transitional Council and submitted to a referendum. The parties will have to hold the congresses required by their statutes and comply with the legal conditions for taking part in the next elections. The organisation of local elections is regarded as institutional progress, but their overall cost is estimated at between 11 and 12 billion CFA francs, above the resources currently available in the public treasury.
The prime minister is proposing negotiations between the National Transitional Council, political parties, the military high command and the transitional government. They should lead to a consensual, realistic electoral timetable compliant with the law. The mission comes as Senegal negotiates a new election date in Guinea-Bissau, according to an announcement published on 25 October.
