Guinea-Bissau has passed a new constitution that expands presidential powers and alters electoral rules ahead of a presidential election due in December.
In the referendum held Sunday, 70 percent of voters approved the reforms, while 30 percent voted against.
The National Electoral Commission said 544,060 people took part in the referendum, almost 60 per cent of registered voters.
The new constitution gives the president powers to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet, create or abolish ministries, and dissolve parliament in the event of a serious political crisis.
Under the present constitution, the prime minister is appointed by the parliament, who in turn form the cabinet.
The reforms give the military government that seized power in a coup last November a framework to reshape the country’s political system in advance of the December presidential election.
However, the main opposition party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), boycotted the referendum, arguing that there were no sufficient political and institutional guaranties.
PAIGC leader Domingos Simoes Pereira accused supporters of the referendum of trying to undermine democracy in a video message.
There was no immediate comment from a spokesman for the military government.
The new constitution also reduces the size of parliament from 102 to 65 seats and the number of electoral constituencies from 29 to 12.
It also requires presidential candidates to have lived in Guinea-Bissau for at least five years continuously before running for an election.
The coup was the ninth military takeover in five years in West and Central Africa, adding to Guinea-Bissau’s long history of political instability and military interventions.
