Under the 1996 constitutional framework, the President is head of state, guardian of the Constitution and supreme commander of the Forças Armadas Revolucionárias do Povo (FARP). The Prime Minister leads the Government, whose programme is approved by the Assembleia Nacional Popular (ANP). The ANP is the highest legislative and political-control body, the Council of State provides political advice, and the courts are formally independent. The Supremo Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) is the highest court and can conduct constitutional review in plenary. The Ministério Público acts under the Procurador-Geral da República and represents legality and the public interest in its assigned functions. The legal order is currently transitional. A military takeover occurred on 26 November 2025, followed by the Carta Política de Transição on 8 December 2025. The 1996 Constitution remains partly applicable, but conflicting charter rules take priority during the transition. The transition institutions include a President of Transition, the Alto Comando Militar para a Restauração da Segurança Nacional e Ordem Pública (ACM) as the highest political leadership body, a Conselho Nacional de Transição (CNT) for legislative and political oversight, and a transitional Government for executive and administrative work. The CNT has 65 members, although the charter's allocation of seats differs from the distribution recorded by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The transition charter provides for twelve months of transition, bars the President and Prime Minister of Transition from standing as candidates, and plans general elections for 6 December 2026. The African Union and ECOWAS have treated the military takeover as unconstitutional and called for a return to constitutional order. A new constitution was approved by the CNT on 13 January 2026. It contains 164 articles rather than the 162 articles of the 1996 Constitution and gives the President a stronger executive role while placing the Prime Minister in a subordinate position. It changes the name of the ANP to Assembleia Nacional. In the referendum of 30 August 2026, 383,117 valid votes supported the proposal and 160,904 opposed it; the Sector Autónomo de Bissau was the only administrative area with a majority against it. The result was declared definitive by the Comissão Nacional de Eleições on 3 and 4 September 2026. Reports about promulgation and the legal effect of the referendum conflict, so the Boletim Oficial and the STJ should be checked before relying on the new constitution for an operational decision. The territory is organised into eight regions and the Sector Autónomo de Bissau: Bafatá, Biombo, Bolama/Bijagós, Cacheu, Gabú, Oio, Quinara and Tombali. The administrative hierarchy continues through regions, sectors, sections and tabancas. Sources count the sectors differently as 36, 37 or 39, so those figures should not be normalised without identifying the source. Regional government is led by a Governador de Região and sector administration by an Administrador de Sector. The Constitution also recognises municipalities, secções autárquicas and juntas locais, but decentralisation and financial autonomy remain weak in practice. Guinea-Bissau has no established system of regularly elected local government comparable to a fully operational municipal level. During the transition, the Government appoints regional governors, sector administrators and the mayor of Bissau, with CNT involvement in the appointments. People usually access public administration through a ministry, a regional delegation or a sector administration. Civil-status and registration services are provided through the Direção-Geral de Identificação Civil, Registos e Notariado, with one central conservatória, eight regional delegations and reported posts across 28 of the 36 sectors. Statistics are coordinated through the national statistical system. Census cartography was prepared in 2025 and a national census was planned for 2026, although data coverage and timeliness remain weak. The ministry structure covers areas such as foreign affairs, finance, economy and planning, interior, justice, defence, education, health, agriculture, fisheries, public works, energy, transport, commerce, social cohesion, youth, culture, environment and public administration. Fees and processing times depend on the specific service; no universal state-access fee or service deadline has been verified. Public finance uses the CFA franc (XOF) within the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The BCEAO issues the currency, manages monetary policy, supervises banking and manages reserves. The Ministry of Finance prepares the national budget, tax policy and public-debt policy. The International Monetary Fund assessed public debt at 75.3% of GDP in 2025 and identified a high risk of debt distress, while still assessing the debt as sustainable. Fiscal pressure includes wage-bill control, expenditure management, cashew-revenue exposure and interest-rate changes. A World Bank grant of USD 10 million supports public-finance management, value-added tax, the Treasury Single Account, domestic revenue and digital public services. Oversight is shared between political, financial, prosecutorial and judicial bodies. The ANP, or the CNT during the transition, provides political control. The Tribunal de Contas audits public finances and provides a channel for public reports and complaints. The Ministério Público and the Procurador-Geral da República address legality, public interest and criminal proceedings. The STJ reviews judicial and constitutional questions. Procurement transparency, audit capacity and anti-corruption controls remain central reform needs. The Constitution recognises equality, freedom of movement, freedom of religion, trade-union rights, the right to strike, access to courts and state liability. Habeas corpus can be brought before the STJ or a regional court, and detention review is subject to a maximum period of 48 hours. The law also recognises rights to information, expression, press, assembly, demonstration and association, together with rights of reply and rectification. In practice, the gap between formal rights and their exercise is substantial. Restrictions on parties, civil society and private media have been reported, including closures of party offices and private radio stations. A law addressing false news and social media was approved on 21 May 2026. The constitutionally intended Conselho Nacional de Comunicação Social is meant to operate independently, while radio and television require licensing. The FARP is responsible for defending territorial sovereignty, independence and integrity. Security forces are assigned internal security and public order, are legally non-partisan and remain subject to constitutional rights. The ACM's military supremacy during the transition creates direct tension with the normal constitutional principle of civilian oversight. The ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) remains active in 2026 to protect state institutions. UN and UNODC programmes support security-sector reform, justice and action against drugs and organised crime. In 2024, authorities seized 2.6 tonnes of drugs at Bissau airport and prosecuted ten trafficking cases.
State in Guinea-Bissau
The State in Guinea-Bissau is a sovereign, democratic, secular and unitary republic whose constitutional system assigns public power to the president, the Assembleia Nacional Popular, the government and the courts. Since the military takeover on 26 November 2025, a transitional charter has partially suspended the 1996 Constitution and placed the transition authorities at the centre of political decision-making. Public administration operates through national ministries, regional delegations and sector administrations, while local government remains constitutionally recognised but practically fragmented.
VivAVia can make mistakes. Check important information.