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Guinea-Bissau President Vaz fires Pereira government

Reports said a rift between the president and prime minister could trigger a political crisis and the country might slip back into chaos.

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Briefed on 10 August by Tay-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, on the situation, Council members took note of the ongoing tension between the President and the Prime Minister, which threatens to undermine the progress made in Guinea-Bissau since the restoration of constitutional order following elections in 2014.

The political scientist Pereira had served since July 2014, taking office as the elected leader of the center-left African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde.

The party, which has a slender majority in the national assembly with 57 members of parliament out of 102, was expected to meet at executive level on Thursday to consider naming a new prime minister, according to sources in the PAIGC, which is led by Pereira.

Pereira has meanwhile said he was still in the saddle and rejected his dismissal.

During his Wednesday address the President officially dismissed Pereira and his cabinet with immediate effect.

Contentious issues included the appointment of a new armed forces chief, as well as corruption, the president said.

Many senior military officers have also been accused of turning the country into a narco-state as it a major hub for cocaine smuggled from Latin America to Europe.

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Last week, Pereira had announced that his government would likely be dissolved due to differences of opinion with Vaz.

Guinea-Bissau President Vaz fires Pereira government