DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNABILITY IN GUINEA-BISSAU: A STUDY ON POLITICAL INSTABILITY (2014-2019)

Abstract

This article analyzes the governance crisis in Guinea-Bissau resulting from the internal conflict within the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) between 2014 and 2019. The study seeks to understand the representativeness of political parties and groups in the successive governments formed during this period, as well as their composition in the legislative body. Furthermore, it presents an overview of the number of days each Prime Minister remained in office, allowing for an assessment of  the  degree  of  governmental  stability  throughout  the  ninth  legislature. Methodologically, this is an exploratory study based on documentary and bibliographic analysis. In Guinea-Bissau, the consolidation of democracy and governance continues to be one of the main challenges of the political system. Since the introduction of multi-party politics in the early 1990s, no Prime Minister has managed to complete their full term. Between 2014 and 2019, corresponding to the ninth legislature, the country was governed by five different Prime Ministers, demonstrating a high level of political and institutional instability. The research results indicate that the internal reform process and leadership disputes within the PAIGC constituted the immediate cause of the governance crisis observed during the ninth legislature. This conflict produced successive governmental changes, weakened the functioning of democratic institutions, and hindered the implementation of public policies aimed at national development.