Constitutional referendum in Guinea-Bissau
On Sunday, according to preliminary results from Guinea-Bissau’s National Electoral Commission (CNE), 70% of voters cast their ballots in favour of a new constitution coming into force. According to the CNE, turnout stood at 62.6 per cent of the total 914,428 registered voters. The main opposition party, the Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde (PAIGC), along with other opposition groups, had called for a boycott of the referendum beforehand. The final results are expected to be confirmed by the Supreme Court in the coming days.
Under the new constitution, the president will be able to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet members, create or abolish ministries, and dissolve parliament in the event of a serious political crisis. Previously, the prime minister emerged from the parliamentary majority and formed the government. This strengthens the president’s position relative to the government and parliament. Other changes concern, among other things, the requirements for presidential candidacy: candidates will now be required to have lived in the country continuously for the five years prior to the election. The head of state’s five-year term and the two-term limit remain in place. At the same time, the number of parliamentary seats is being reduced from 102 to 65, and the number of constituencies from 29 to 12.
Criticism is directed in particular at how the referendum came about and was conducted. The new constitution had already been adopted by the National Transitional Council (CNT) before the vote. It was then promulgated and published in the official gazette by Transitional President General Horta N’Tam. The PAIGC and other opposition groups accuse the military government of having drafted the constitutional text without sufficient political and public participation. They also note that the CNT, an unelected transitional body, played a decisive role in the process. PAIGC party leader Domingos Simões Pereira described the referendum as “a blow against democracy and freedom.” The opposition has also raised doubts about the officially reported turnout: while they put it at under 10%, various international media outlets also reported sparse turnout at polling stations. Critics also see the reform as an attempt by the military government to consolidate its power ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections announced for 6 December, which are intended to pave the way for a return to civilian rule. The military government, however, justifies the constitutional amendments on the grounds that they aim to stabilise political institutions, prevent recurring conflicts between the head of state and the prime minister, and thus create the necessary conditions for the elections.
The referendum took place less than ten months after the coup of 26 November 2025, in which President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was deposed. The coup occurred just days after the presidential election of 23 November, the results of which were subsequently never formally announced. The military, under General Horta N’Tam, seized power and installed a transitional government (Press Review, CW 49/2025). Back in December 2023, Embaló had already dissolved the parliament, which had been dominated by the opposition since the parliamentary elections in June, and had been ruling by decree ever since. Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced a total of five military coups.
Foreign Minister Wadephul is travelling to Tunisia and Algeria
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul concluded his tour of North Africa, which had taken him to Tunisia and Algeria. He was accompanied by a business delegation. This was already the Foreign Minister’s fourth trip to Africa this year (Press Review CW 30/2026). On Monday, Wadephul met his counterpart Mohamed Ali Nafti and President Kais Saied in Tunis. During the visit, Nafti and Wadephul signed five agreements and projects with a total value of more than 100 million euros. These relate, amongst other things, to the energy and environmental transition, digitalisation, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as training, employment and water management. Further projects in the field of the green economy, with a value of around 40 million euros, are currently under review.
The agreements build on close economic ties. Germany is Tunisia’s third-largest export market; in 2025, the volume of bilateral trade reached a record high of over 5.3 billion euros. Supply chains with Tunisia are particularly important for the German automotive industry. At the same time, Saied called for a revision of the EU Association Agreement with Tunisia to make it more balanced and fair, as well as for the partial conversion of existing loans into investments. During a visit to the digital centre The Dot, the focus was on cooperation with Tunisian start-ups and on educational and professional exchanges. Around 7,500 young Tunisians are currently studying at German universities. In view of difficulties with visa issuance, Wadephul announced plans to improve the procedure and facilitate the placement of Tunisian skilled workers in Germany; a planned agency is to combine visa issuance with job placement services.
In Algeria, Wadephul was received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and the Minister for Hydrocarbons, Mohamed Arkab. He discussed long-term gas supply contracts for Germany with Arkab. Further cooperation in the field of green hydrogen was also on the agenda. Algeria aims to meet up to ten per cent of the EU’s hydrogen demand by 2040. The German-Algerian energy partnership agreed in 2015 had already been strengthened during Tebboune’s visit to Berlin in July. In 2025, Algeria was the EU’s third-largest gas supplier.
On the issue of migration, Wadephul announced plans to work with Tunisia and Algeria to crack down on people-smuggling networks and tackle the root causes of irregular migration. This also includes creating better economic prospects in the countries of origin. Wadephul also referred to the stabilisation of the Sahel region, in which Germany, Tunisia and Algeria have a shared interest. In migration policy, he highlighted the successes achieved so far in curbing irregular migration. An EU memorandum on a strategic and comprehensive partnership with Tunisia has been in place since 2023, which provides, amongst other things, for cooperation on migration as well as support for border management and return. Meanwhile, human rights organisations have criticised the cooperation on migration policy under the memorandum due to serious human rights violations against migrants and refugees in Tunisia.
Tunisia and Algeria have been hit by a heatwave and severe forest fires in recent weeks. Temperatures rose at times to almost 50 degrees. In Tunisia, the high temperatures led to increased demand for electricity and, in several regions, to power rationing. This also affected water pumping stations, thereby exacerbating the already strained drinking water supply. Since the end of July, there have been repeated protests in Tunis against rising living costs, calling for political reforms and opposing President Kais Saied and his increasing concentration of power.
Special news
Hichilema sworn in for second term in Zambia
On Tuesday, Hakainde Hichilema was sworn in for a second term as President of Zambia. Prior to this, the opposition candidate Brian Mundubile, who came second in the presidential elections on 13 August with around 38 per cent of the vote (Press Review CW 34/2026), and his vice-presidential candidate Makebi Zulu were arrested last week and charged with high treason. Following the election, Mundubile had announced his intention to challenge the result in court on the grounds of irregularities. International election observers had also noted irregularities in the vote count, but concluded that these had not altered the outcome of the election. Initially, the election challenge was not lodged through the regular legal channels within the prescribed time limit. On the final day of the seven-day deadline, courts across the country were closed on security grounds. Subsequently, the Chief Justice, Mumba Malila, confirmed receipt of a petition via his private email address, which he forwarded to the Constitutional Court. It remains unclear whether this means the petition is considered to have been duly submitted.
Uprising by sections of the military in Niger
On Friday and Saturday, sections of the military staged an uprising in the Nigerien capital, Niamey, against the government of junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani. Among other targets, the rebels attacked Air Force Base 101 at the international airport and the presidential palace. The clashes lasted around 24 hours. On Sunday, forces loyal to the government regained control of the air base. According to Russian sources, they were supported in this by the Afrikakorps. There are no reliable figures yet on the number of people who have been killed or injured. Possible reasons cited for the uprising include the army’s heavy losses in the fight against jihadist groups, as well as dissatisfaction with equipment and supplies. Also on Sunday, Algeria dispatched four fighter jets and other military equipment to Niamey, reportedly to support the Nigerien armed forces.
In other news
On Monday, GITEX Nigeria 2026, West Africa’s largest technology, AI and start-up trade fair, launched in Abuja and Lagos under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Under the theme “Beyond Connectivity: The Bridge to Sovereign AI and Innovation”, more than 750 start-ups, around 200 investors and 150 federal and state authorities came together until Thursday. The event kicked off on Monday in Abuja with the Government Leadership & AI Summit, where topics such as the use of AI in public administration, digital infrastructure, and investments were discussed. During the summit, the Nigerian government announced its targets for expanding digital infrastructure: 750 million US dollars in private investment in cloud and data centres, as well as a 90,000 km fibre-optic network covering all states. In Lagos, the Tech Expo and Startup Festival followed on Wednesday and Thursday, featuring exhibitions, investment talks, workshops and specialist sessions. This year’s GITEX Nigeria was the second edition of the event, and is intended to connect Nigeria’s technology and start-up ecosystem with international investors and companies.