Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has sacked Geraldo Martins as prime minister just a week after his reappointment and appointed former prime minister Rui Duarte de Barros in his place.
The president announced this in a decree on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, saying; “Geraldo Joao Martins “is dismissed from his post as prime minister. The decree comes into force immediately.”
Another decree named Rui Duarte Barros as his replacement.
Embalo dissolved Guinea-Bissau’s parliament days after what he said was a foiled coup on December 1, 2023, accusing the government of passivity in response to the clashes. He then reappointed Martins as prime minister on December 12, 2023.
The presidential decrees did not provide a reason for sacking Martins, who is a member of the former ruling PAIGC party which now leads the main opposition coalition. Sources close to the matter said the prime minister and the president were at odds.
Before his current role, De Barros held positions as Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Economy and Finance and served as a commissioner at the West African Economic and Monetary Union. Additionally, he served as prime minister in a transitional government from 2012 to 2014. Guinea-Bissau, since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, has experienced political turmoil and witnessed several coups.
Recent events include police using tear gas to disperse opposition members of parliament who attempted to convene against President Embalo’s decision to dissolve the house. Meanwhile, a specific date for new legislative elections following this dissolution has not been announced.
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