Lisbon, Aug. 18, 2025 (Lusa) - The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde (PAIGC) condemns the Bissau government's decision to expel the Portuguese media and demands that the measure be revoked, the political organisation announced on Monday.
The position was taken and is part of the resolutions of the ordinary meeting of the PAIGC Political Bureau, which took place on Saturday in Bissau to analyse the socio-political situation in the African country.
The party that leads the PAI-Terra Ranka coalition, ousted from government in December 2023 by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, approved a motion of solidarity with RDP, RTP and Agência Lusa.
The presidential-initiated government expelled the Portuguese media from Guinea-Bissau, decreeing the end of broadcasting with immediate effect on 15 August and the departure from the country of the representatives of these bodies by Tuesday 19 August.
The PAIGC approved a motion "condemning the government of Guinea-Bissau for suspending the broadcasting of these media organisations in the country", as announced today on the party's official social media page.
The party "demands the immediate revocation of the government's decision to suspend the broadcasts of RDP, RTP and Agência Lusa", as well as the revocation of the expulsion order given to the delegates, which it classifies as "shameful".
"This decision deprives citizens of the right to plurality of information," said Califa Seidi, vice-president of the PAIGC who chaired the meeting in the absence of its leader, Domingos Simões Pereira, who is out of the country.
Of the 110 members of the Political Bureau, 62 were present at the meeting where the party expressed solidarity with Cabo Verde, Portugal, Guinea Conakry and Ghana, countries recently affected by natural disasters and accidents such as fires and floods.
The PAIGC also considered unconstitutional the formation of the current government of Guinea-Bissau, which took office recently, and which is the second of presidential initiative, after the dissolution of parliament in December 2023.
The Guinean head of state has called presidential and legislative elections for 23 November, which will be organised entirely internally for the first time in Guinea-Bissau.
The party is calling for "an external audit of the electoral process to ensure transparency".
The PAIGC urged leaders who are abroad to return to the country to prepare for the electoral process, except for those on official missions or for health reasons.
It also decided to start negotiating a coalition with parties from the PAI-Terra Ranka coalition, which won the June 2023 legislative elections and was ousted from government less than half a year after taking office, with the dissolution of parliament, without the 12-month deadline imposed by the Constitution having elapsed since the elections.
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