President Quits After Serving A Day In Office

On Sunday, Guinea Bissau's interim leader Cipriano Cassamá announced that he was resigning from the post to which he had been appointed the previous Friday. Lawmakers belonging to the majority African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) had elected Cassamá as president a day after the swearing-in of former-general Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who was the declared winner of December's presidential election. In a statement to the press, he justified this move citing the insecurity that enveloped him and his family since he was named leader, further adding, "I decided to take this decision to avoid confrontation between the forces on the other side and the forces that guard me, and also to avoid a … civil war."


Some Background to the political situation in the country.

The political situation in Guinea Bissau has been on a slow decline since December's polls. At the time, the national electoral commission announced Embalo as the winner with 54% of the votes whereas his main rival, Domingos Simoes Pereira, had 46%. However, Pereira, along with his party PAIGC, contested the results, and in early January, filed a complaint on the same to the Supreme Court. Two weeks later, the Supreme Court responded by ordering the electoral commission to clarify the tabulation procedures that gave birth to the final results.

Current Political Circumstances

Last Thursday, Embalo, with the full support of the electoral commission, went ahead with the swearing-in in what was seen as a direct violation of the Supreme Court's order. Outgoing President José Mário Vaz supported this by showing up at to the ceremony held at a luxury hotel in the capital, Bissau, in order to hand over power. This is what drove PAIGC to retaliate by electing Cassamá to the same post. The crisis was then exacerbated when President Embalo appointed his political ally Nuno Gomes Na Biam as prime minister through what he said was a decision of consensus. This angered the incumbent Prime Minister Aristides Gomes, and he refused to recognize the decree by stepping down.

Conclusion 

With Cassamá's announcement, the dilemma of having two presidents has been solved. However, the existence of two prime ministers has ratcheted up tensions in the nation, and there are now legitimate fears that the situation could turn into a coup. As such, ministries have been closed and soldiers deployed to guard the residences of several parliamentarians including Prime Minister Gomes's home. Military personnel have also been assigned to watch over the state broadcaster's offices in Bissau.


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