The West African state of Guinea-Bissau
recorded what activists described as a healthy political development,
as the ruling
government of President João Bernardo Vieira lost a vote
of confidence in the parliament. Constitutionally, the government
should hand over power to a coalition body. Following the confirmation of
irregularities in the voting process by the secretary to parliament,
the government vowed to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.
Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest countries in the world, since 1999
has been at the centre of disputes that most times resulted in military
coups or mutinies.
Political observers said that Guinea-Bissau President Vieira is left
with the choice to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Aristides
Gomes, dissolve the parliament or seek a compromise. Prime Minister
Gomes, who was appointed to the position in 2005, has been a close
friend of Mr Vieira.
Since his appointment, several deputies raised eyebrows and vowed to
remove Mr Gomes from office. It is also believed that the Bissau
government is deeply affected by the struggles with parliament.
Until his overthrow in 1999, Mr Vieira had ruled Guinea-Bissau in an
authoritarian way for 19 consecutive years. In 2005, he came from his
six year exile to sweep the free and fair presidential elections in the
country.
Since independence, the former Portuguese colony has been confronted
with all types of problems, including lack of human and material
resources, which boomeranged on the country''s development.
Principally, Guinea-Bissau''s main problem is said to have to do with
leadership. Unable to gain political stability for almost ten years,
the country''s economy has also faced ruin and lack of investments still
haunts Bissau.