Guinea-Bissau’s President Appoints New Prime Minister as Political Tensions Escalate

Guinea-Bissau’s President José Mário Vaz appointed a new prime minister on Tuesday, but the dismissed incumbent refused to step down, deepening a political standoff just weeks before the country’s presidential election.

Vaz, who is seeking re-election in the November 24 vote, dissolved the government late Monday, arguing that ongoing political tensions were preventing state institutions from functioning properly.

Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has endured chronic instability, including nine coups or attempted coups and a growing role as a hub for South American drug trafficking — reportedly involving senior military figures.

Although the country has remained relatively calm since Vaz’s election in 2014, tensions have persisted between the president and successive prime ministers nominated by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which holds a majority in parliament.

In his latest decree, Vaz named Faustino Fudut Imbali — a former prime minister who served from 2000 to 2003 and leader of the small Manifest Party of the People — as the new head of government.

However, outgoing Prime Minister Aristides Gomes, appointed by the PAIGC, told Reuters he would not relinquish his post. “I am in my office, working,” Gomes said, dismissing the president’s move as illegitimate. He argued that Vaz’s mandate had officially expired on June 23, though the West African regional bloc ECOWAS later ruled that Vaz could remain in office until the November election.

Vaz, who originally won the 2014 election as the PAIGC candidate, broke ties with the party in 2015 after dismissing his then-prime minister. He is now running for re-election as an independent.

Over the weekend, opposition supporters marched in the capital Bissau, calling for the postponement of the election to allow time to verify voter lists. According to government officials, hospital sources, and protest organizers, one demonstrator was killed and several others were injured during the protests.

Guinea-Bissau’s long history of political turbulence has often been marked by military interventions, led by officers from the small elite corps that fought in the country’s 1963–1974 independence war.