Guinea-Bissau President appoints new Prime Minister

Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has appointed a former finance minister to head the next government following legislative elections in the West African state that ushered in power-sharing.

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A coalition led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) won 54 out of 102 seats in the June vote, ahead of Embalo’s Madem G15 party, which picked up 29.

Embalo, in a decree published by his office late Monday on social media, named PAIGC’s deputy leader, Geraldo Martins, as next prime minister.

Martins was proposed by the coalition, Pai-Terra Ranka.

EMBALO

He succeeds Nuno Gomes Nabiam, who had served since 2020.

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The former Portuguese colony of around two million people has a chronic history of instability.

Embalo dissolved parliament in May 2022 after falling out with lawmakers.

But his electoral gamble failed, as voters turned to the PAIGC, the country’s historic ruling party.

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The Madem G15 alliance was hit by internal dissent, and many electors were concerned about the economy, battered by falling prices for cashew nuts, a key source of income.

One-fifth of the population experiences food insecurity, according to the United Nations.

Guinea-Bissau has suffered four military coups since independence in 1974, most recently in 2012.

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An attempt to overthrow Embalo took place in February 2022.