Guinea-Bissau President Jose Maria Vaz dismissed Prime Minister Aristide Gomes’ government less than a month before the West African nation holds presidential elections.
Guinea-Bissau faces “a serious political crisis which prevents the normal functioning of state institutions,” Vaz said in a statement in the capital, Bissau, on Monday.
Vaz, who’s been embroiled in a power struggle with his party since he became president in 2014, had appointed the government in July, less than a week after lawmakers voted to remove him from office. He disputed the validity of the legislature’s decision.
Guinea-Bissau is scheduled to hold presidential elections on Nov. 24. Over the weekend, police used tear gas to disperse opposition supporters calling for the ballot to be postponed to allow an overhaul of the electoral register to limit potential voter fraud.
Vaz’s presidential term ended on June 23, but he’s remained in power after a regional economic bloc, which has been mediating the political crisis, proposed that he stay in office until the election is held.
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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