Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Portuguese head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, states, in response to the Lusa agency, that he has not met or spoken to the Guinean President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, since he was in Bissau, in mid-November.
This information was sent to the Lusa agency today, in response to a request for comment from the President of the Republic on the situation in Guinea-Bissau and on statements by the president of the Guinean parliament, Domingos Simões Pereira, in which he is targeted.
“The President of the Republic has not been to, nor spoken to, the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, since his visit to Guinea-Bissau on November 16, 2023. Like the Government, he has also not commented on the situation in Guinea-Bissau so far “, was the response sent to Lusa by the communications office of the Presidency of the Republic.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was in Bissau between November 15th and 16th, together with the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, participating in the official celebration of the 50th anniversary of Guinea-Bissau’s independence.
In an interview with the Lusa agency, published this Tuesday, the president of the National Popular Assembly of Guinea-Bissau, Domingos Simões Pereira, accused the Portuguese authorities of allowing themselves to be used by the Guinean head of state, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, “instead of contributing to the strengthening of stability, for the construction of democratic institutions”.
“The Portuguese authorities hear this mention and do not make a point of denouncing it and distancing themselves from this reality, they become accomplices in what is happening at the moment”, said Domingos Simões Pereira, who chairs the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Town Verde (PAIGC), which leads the coalition in the Government of Guinea-Bissau.
According to Simões Pereira, Umaro Sissoco Embaló invoked an alleged conversation with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa regarding his decision to dissolve the Guinean parliament, under the pretext of an alleged attempted coup d’état.
For the president of the Guinean parliament and the PAIGC, the presence of Portuguese authorities in Guinea-Bissau “gives a sign of approval to the actions of the entities that have been receiving these authorities”.
“I cannot admit that, living in this situation that is already seen as chronic in terms of instability, Portugal, instead of contributing to the reinforcement of stability, to the construction of democratic institutions, allows itself to be used for this type of mention, which they really drag us down”, he criticized.
Guinea-Bissau is experiencing a situation of tension and instability, following the arrest, on November 30, of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Suleimane Seidi, and the Secretary of State for the Treasury, António Monteiro, both directors of the PAIGC, within the scope of a process related to payments to entrepreneurs.
The events came to a head with members of the National Guard going to fetch the two leaders from the Judiciary Police cells, followed by clashes between this militarized force and members of the Presidential Palace battalion.
The PAIGC leads the PAI–Terra Ranka coalition, in the Government, together with the Social Renewal Party (PRS), the Guinea Workers’ Party (PTG) and five other small political formations. This coalition won the legislative elections on June 4th this year and elected 54 of the 102 deputies.
The Movement for Democratic Alternation (Madem G15), which supports the President of the Republic and leads the opposition in Guinea-Bissau, considered the military clashes as an attempted coup d’état.
On Monday, after a meeting of the State Council, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló announced the decision to dissolve parliament.
The president of parliament described this decision as a constitutional coup d’état, taking into account that under the terms of the Guinean Constitution the National Popular Assembly cannot be dissolved within 12 months of its election.
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