Guinea Bissau’s new president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló who assumed power in Bissau on Thursday vowed to restore the authority of the state by promoting patriotism, competence and altruism.
By Nouha Mancaly
In his speech before Nuno Nabian,the first vice-president of Parliament, who led the investiture ceremony in a hotel in the capital, Sissoco Embaló announced “an era of dignity, peace and progress for all Bissau-Guineans,” which he considers “a heroic, noble and honourable people.”
He said that 47 years after independence, Guinea Bissau has gone through situations that have led to a “collective tragedy,” to the point that the country now has “the worst schools, the worst hospitals and the worst infrastructure.”
To change this reality, the winner of the December 29, 2019 run-off election with 53.55 percent of the votes against 46.45 percent for his challenger, Domingos Simoes Pereira, promised to restore state institutions, especially the justice sector (to put an end to political banditry) and public administration plagued by corruption.
He urged his compatriots to “lay down their weapons from today,” guaranteeing that he will be the president of all Bissau-Guinean citizens and at the forefront of the crusade to restore the credibility of the country’s external image.
Embaló’s inauguration took place in the absence of most foreign diplomats, with the exception of those from Senegal and The Gambia.
At the presidency, a ceremony for the transfer of power took place between him and his predecessor, José Mario Vaz, who immediately left the presidential palace in central Bissau, where thousands of Embaló’s supporters were celebrating his ascension to power.
Bissau-Guinean Prime Minister Aristides Gomes said Thursday’s inauguration, which came less than 48 hours after the National Elections Commission (CEN) upheld Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s victory, was a “coup d’état” spearheaded by Vaz.
The Speaker of Guinea-Bissau’s Parliament, Cipriano Cassamá, who according to the country’s law was to preside over the inauguration of the new president, was absent from the ceremony, saying he was awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice on the appeal lodged by the hapless PAIGC candidate, Domingos Simões Pereira, denouncing fraud and irregularities in the polls.
NM/te/lb/as/APA