The President of the Republic has reportedly decided not to attend the XV Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) due to the potential assignment of the presidency to Equatorial Guinea from 2027-2029, a nation facing allegations of systematic human rights violations, as reported by Expresso.
While the rotation of the presidency is not dictated by alphabetical order according to the statutes, this practice is generally followed among member states, with some exceptions.
In a statement to Lusa, reported today, a Brazilian diplomatic official expressed Brazil’s ambitions to assume the CPLP presidency for 2027-2029.
“We intend to submit a candidacy [and] count on the support of the other member states,” said Brazilian Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral, Secretary for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The CPLP Summit is taking place in the capital of Guinea-Bissau, which now takes over the presidency of the organization for two years, succeeding São Tomé and Príncipe.
The Conference of Heads of State and Government is scheduled for this Friday, preceded by other initiatives such as the meeting of focal points, the Food Security Council, and the Permanent Conciliation Committee at the ambassador level, as well as today’s meeting of the Council of Ministers, which brings together foreign ministers.
The CPLP comprises Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.
