Capital city

Bissau

Capital city > Name

Bissau

Constitution
16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996

CPIA equity of public resource use rating

3

[57th of 75]

Diplomatic representation from the US
the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau

Elections > Head of state

Direct election

Executive branch > Election results
Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malam Bacai SANHA 47.6%

Executive branch > Head of government
Prime Minister Carlos CORREIA (since 5 August 2008)

Flag modification

24

[53rd of 197]

Foreign relations of Western Sahara > States recognizing the SADR > Date of recognition

March 15, 1976

General government final consumption expenditure > constant 2000 US$

24,301,030 constant 2000 US$

[113rd of 145]

General government final consumption expenditure > constant LCU

171194600

General government final consumption expenditure > current US$

54,789,840 $

[140th of 169]

General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per capita)

34.538 $ per capita

[125th of 184]

Independence
24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)

Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at more than $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less than $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)

Legislative branch
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Legislative branch > Elections
last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held 16 November 2008)

National holiday
Independence Day, 24 September

Policy uncertainty > % of managers surveyed ranking this as a major business constraint

4.98 %

[11th of 38]

Political parties and leaders
African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE; Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG; Guinea-Bissau Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE]; Labor and Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress or PRP; Progress Party or PP [Ibrahima SOW]; Union for Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD

Procedures to build a warehouse > number

11

[153rd of 168]

Procedures to enforce a contract > number

40

[54th of 170]

Procedures to register property > number

9

[16th of 167]

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament > %

14 %

[89th of 174]

Start-up procedures to register a business > number (per capita)

10.716 per 1 million people

[27th of 171]

Suffrage
18 years of age; universal

Time required to enforce a contract > days

1,140 days

[12th of 171]

Time required to start a business > days

233 days

[2nd of 171]

Transnational Issues > Disputes > International
in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau

United Nations mission
http;//www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5454.htm

CPIA gender equality rating

3

[48th of 75]

CPIA property rights and rule-based governance rating

2.5

[53rd of 75]

CPIA transparency, accountability, and corruption in the public sector rating

2.5

[55th of 75]

Electoral system type

proportional

Female ministers

17.6%

[44th of 125]

Female suffrage

1977

Gender Parity Index in primary level enrolment

0.669280604444345

[175th of 183]

Parliamentary elections > Total vote

402,400

[120th of 154]

Parliamentary elections > Voter registration

503,007

[117th of 152]

Parliamentary elections > Voting age population (per capita)

220.576 per 1,000 people

[160th of 162]

Presidential elections > Registered voter turnout

71.9%

[44th of 86]

Presidential elections > Turnout

116

[1st of 82]

Presidential elections > Voting age population

311,674

[85th of 91]

Vote counting technology

manual