The biggest political party in Guinea Bissau, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), over the weekend called for the resignation of new Prime Minister (PM) Baciro Dja.
PAIGC’s political bureau said last Thursday’s appointment of Dja by President Jose Mario Vaz, to replace Domingos Simoes Pereira who was sacked on Aug. 12, “violated the Constitution of the Republic and totally ignored the party’s rules which stipulate that its leader becomes PM in case it wins legislative elections.”
PAIGC won the last legislative elections with 57 parliamentary seats out of 102 seats, and according to the country’s Constitution, the majority party should propose the name of the prime minister.
The party proposed that the president reappoints Pereira whom he had sacked over their differences, but the president rejected the proposal.
In its statement, PAIGC urged Dja who is the party’s third vice-president, to resign from the prime minister’s post and also asked its National Governing Council all party members who do not respect its rules.
Elsewhere, Guinea Bissau’s Parliament issued a statement condemning Dja’s appointment, terming it “a violation of the country’s Constitution.”
Due to the current situation, Parliament is expected to meet for an extraordinary session on Monday, Aug. 24, to debate Baciro Dja’s appointment.
The appointment has equally been condemned by the National Alliance, a group bringing together Guinea Bissau civil society organizations, trade unions and political parties.
The alliance has called for civil disobedience and protests until the president reconsiders his decision.
Last Wednesday, the UN Security Council urged all Guinea Bissau leaders to engage in dialogue, warning that the current political crisis threatens progress that has been made to restore constitutional order in Guinea Bissau since the 2014 elections.
Guinea Bissau’s former colonial master, Portugal, has already warned that it may halt development aid to the country if there is political instability. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
