Ballot Business

Because Guinea-Bissau is a parliamentary system, each voter chooses a party as represented on the following ballot for the legislature:

(Source: http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/africa/GW/Guinea-Bissau%20-%20ballot%20paper%20(leg)%204.jpg)

Each party is represented not only by the party name, but by a party seal and flag. In all ballots which we have been able to uncover the PAIGC has been listed first, possibly due to the PAIGC’s historical legacy as the militant revolutionaries who gained initial independence from Portugal. Their placement on the ballot has probably also contributed to their political success in previous parliamentary elections. The PAIGC’s seal and flag are also nearly identical to the seal and flag of Guinea-Bissau, most likely due to this same revolutionary legacy and likely also contributing to their success.

The ballots for the 2005 presidential election featured pictures of the candidates along with their party affiliation. The CIA World Fact Book places adult literacy at 42.4% of the total population, and only 27.4% of the female population. Because Guinea-Bissau has universal suffrage for those over 18 the inclusion of graphic representations of parties and photos of candidates on the ballots is a way for those who cannot read to differentiate between parties and candidates.

(Source: http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/africa/GW/Guinea-Bissau%20-%20ballot%20paper%20(pres)%202.jpg)

Sources:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pu.html

http://aceproject.org/regions-en/gi/GW/default

Written by: Andrea

Contributions by: Andrew