Prime Minister calls for veto of new constitution

Guinea Bissau Prime Minister Francisco Fadul has asked interim President Malam Bacai Sanha to veto an amended constitution approved on 7 July by parliament, Lusa reported. The new constitution states that the "positions of president, speaker of parliament, chief justice, prime minister, attorney general and armed forces chief be held only by native-born citizens whose parents are also native-born citizens". Lusa said Fadul, whose family is of Lebanese origin, warned in a letter sent on Monday to Sanha that the country's fundamental values were under threat and that "such measures will only lead us to isolation and atrophy". The president has 30 days to veto the amendments, which also include the abolition of the death penalty and limits to presidential terms. According to OCHA's latest humanitarian situation report for Guinea Bissau, only 13 of the country's 30 ethnic groups are considered "national", and they represent about half of the population. The report, which covers 1-15 July, said the UN Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea Bissau (UNOGBIS) has raised the issue with junta leaders, the government, judiciary and other key actors. At a news conference on 14 July, the Guinea Bissau human rights league, LGDH, condemned the requirement as discriminatory. The league said the amendment violated principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that it intended to use legal means to fight it.