News:
November 3, 2024
Ahead of Guinea Bissau’s Parliamentary elections on November 24, 2024, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo issued a decree closing the opposition-dominated Parliament saying it is an opportune moment, in line with their constitution.
But the Chairman of the Community Parliament’s Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. explained that, the Constitution says the president can dissolve Parliament one year after; but in the case of Guinea Bissau it was four months after, “which runs contrary to the constitution”.
This, he noted are some of the things that ECOWAS need to listen to. “We can no longer treat ECOWAS as presidents’ club; we need to be bold to our leaders when something is going wrong”, he said in an interview.
The Leader of the Liberian delegation pointed out that, especially in the country of Guinea Bissau, where we have ECOWAS troops there, if anything goes wrong in Guinea Bissau ECOWAS would be seen as part of it because it is protecting the peace and security there.
He added that Guinea Bissau’s situation is more challenging for them, saying they are now calling for Parliamentary elections, “and I hope that this time around the constitution would be well respected and the right things done”
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com