Guinea-Bissau: President Embalo's new government sworn in

Eight days after being re-elected as Prime Minister, Geraldo Martins was replaced by Rui Duarte Barros on Thursday 21 December. Like his predecessor, the new Prime Minister comes from the opposition coalition led by the PAIGC party. This change of government comes in a context of crisis between President Embalo and the Assembly.

The new government of Guinea-Bissau, this Thursday, December 21, 2023, with President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in the center. © Facebook Presidência da República da Guiné-Bissau

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The presidential decree acknowledging the change of government does not mention any official reason. According to local sources, a letter sent by the prosecutor to the Guinea-Bissau president decided him to part ways with his prime minister. In this letter, the prosecutor indicated that he wanted to hear Geraldo Martins in a case of embezzlement in which two of his former ministers are suspected.

This was echoed by President Embalo, who even warned his new Prime Minister Rui Duarte Barros: "If tomorrow we discover suspicions of corruption against you, you too will go to court."

This dismissal would also have political reasons: according to local analysts, the parliamentary coalition led by the PAIGC was asking Geraldo Martins to fully renew the ministerial team in place since the legislative elections it had won in June 2023. This is unacceptable for the head of state, who, according to a source close to the presidency, also feared that the government would become more autonomous to the detriment of its prerogatives.

Two weeks ago, after clashes in Bissau, President Embalo announced that he was taking over the Ministries of Defence and Interior, and dissolving the Assembly, in what the parliamentary majority continues to describe as a coup d'état in violation of the Constitution.

Read alsoGuinea-Bissau: police block access to Parliament

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  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Umaro Sissoco Embalo