The president of the Guinean parliament, Cipriano Cassamá, said on Thursday that Guinea-Bissau should rescue its sovereignty and allow the country’s politicians to end the cycle of disagreement in which they have lived “for many years”.
Cipriano Cassamá was speaking at the end of a meeting with Guinean President Umaro Sissoco Embaló to analyze the political situation in Guinea-Bissau and the recent communiqué from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has mediated the crisis in the country.
“We have analyzed the ECOWAS communiqué and we think it is important to rescue our sovereignty and allow political actors to get out of this cycle of disagreement that we have lived in for many years,” said Cipriano Cassamá.
The president of the parliament revealed that, in the meeting with the head of state, they also concluded that “relations must be reciprocal for stability and development”.
“We also talked about the parliament and concluded that we will wait until the end of the consultations and then I will convene the competent bodies,” said Cipriano Cassamá, referring to the approval of the program of the Government of Nuno Nabian, named prime minister by the Guinean President, in following his inauguration.
Asked about the ECOWAS communiqué that indicates he wants to form a new government by 22 May and that respects the results of the 10 March legislatures, Cipriano Cassamá replied that “the parliament is doing its job and there is an ECOWAS communiqué “.
“We wait for the President of the Republic to finish his consultations and he will decide by law”, he stressed.
ECOWAS, which has mediated the political crisis in Guinea-Bissau, recognized Umaro Sissoco Embaló as the winner of the second round of the country’s presidential elections and called for the formation of a new government by May 22, based on the Constitution and the results of the legislative March 2019.
ECOWAS Recommendations
The European Union, African Union, UN, Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) and Portugal praised the decision of the African subregional organization for resolving the impasse that persisted in the country, but urged that ECOWAS recommendations be implemented, above all that of appointing a new Government respecting the result of the last legislative ones.
Guinea-Bissau has been experiencing another period of political crisis since the beginning of the year, after Sissoco Embaló, who was elected as the winner of the elections by the National Elections Commission, declared himself President of the country, despite the fact that a Supreme Court appeal of electoral litigation presented by the candidacy of Domingos Simões Pereira.
Simões Pereira, leader of the African Independence Party of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), did not accept defeat in the second round of the presidential elections in December and considered that the recognition of his opponent’s victory is “the end of zero tolerance to coups d’état “by ECOWAS.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló dismissed the Government of Prime Minister Aristides Gomes (PAIGC), which maintains the majority support in the parliament of Guinea-Bissau, and appointed another led by Nuno Nabian, having considered that this nomination respects the country’s Constitution.
The Supreme Court of Justice referred a position on electoral litigation when the circumstances that determined the state of emergency in the country, declared in the context of combating the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, are overcome.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló has already admitted calling early legislative elections.
