afrol News, 18 April - Guinea-Bissau’s newly appointed consensus Prime Minister, Martinho Ndafa Cabi, has reportedly announced his new cabinet line up yesterday. The new government consists of 21 ministers while that of the former Prime Minister, Aristide Gomes, had 20 members.

It was reported that parties that signed the political and parliamentary stability pact gave up key ministerial positions to give fair representation of the new government.

Some members of the dissolved government were maintained. The former Minister for Economic Affairs, Issuf Sanha, was appointed to man the Finance Ministry.

President Nino Vieira was said to have lobbied for the inclusion of his close allies - Major Baciro Dabo and Maria da Conceição Nobre Cabral - in the new government. Mr Dabo heads the Internal Administration Ministry while Maria Cabral was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Community.

The Bissau-Guinean President, João Bernardo “Nino” Vieira, named a consensus Prime Minister on 9 April after he was bombarded with mountains of national and international pressures.

Through a Presidential decree, Mr Vieira appointed Martinho Ndafa Cabi, a key official of the main opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), as the new Premier. The new Prime Minister formerly occupied a Ministerial post in Guinea-Bissau.

Prime Minster Cabi replaced Aristide Gomes who resigned from office on 29 March - exactly 10 days after the parliament moved a vote of no-confidence against his removal.

Mr Gomes, who was accused of being a close ally of President Vieira, was appointed to the post on 2 November 2005 following the sacking of Carlos Gomes Junior.

The new PM said his first pre-occupation has to do with reconciling Bissau-Guineans who have been divided by political, social and other problems. He said in the absence of reconciliation and unity, meaningful development will not take place in the country.

“It’s also my priority to organise the upcoming legislative polls in a state of peace and fairness,” he said, adding that eradication of famine or hunger as well as address the country’s ailing economic problems also rank high on his agenda.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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