Baciro Dja named Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau

Guinea Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz on 26 May 2016 issued a presidential decree naming Baciro Dja as Prime Minister of the country.

Dja succeeds Carlos Correia, who was sacked earlier in May 2016. His removal threatened to deepen political turmoil in the tiny West African nation.

Effects of Presidential decree

• The presidential decree sparked protests from political opponents, who claimed the appointment as unconstitutional.

• The ruling party said it would not support Dja, who held the same post briefly in 2015.

• Dja was forced to resign when the Supreme Court ruled that the appointment was made without consulting all political parties and was therefore unconstitutional.

Guinea Bissau and its politics

• Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa.

• It covers 36125 square kilometres (13948 sq mi) with an estimated population of 1704000.

• In the 19th century, it was colonized as Portuguese Guinea.

• After its independence in 1974, the name of its capital, Bissau, was added to the country's name to prevent confusion with Guinea (formerly French Guinea).

• Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability since independence, and no elected president has successfully served a full five-year term.

• It has had nine coups or attempted coups since 1980, and the turbulence has helped it become a major transit point for cocaine trafficked from South America to Europe.

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