Roundup: Guinea Bissau leaders differ over forming new gov't

Disagreements between Guinea Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz and the new Prime Minister Carlos Correia have delayed formation of the new government, analysts have observed.

The appointment on Sept. 17, of Correia, 84, had led many to hope that Guinea Bissau's two-month old political crisis will be resolved.

The crisis was caused by the sacking of former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira by the president due to disagreements between the two, who belong to the same party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).

Vaz's decision was rejected by PAIGC which has the highest number of parliamentarians, 57 out of 102, and which, according to the Constitution, was supposed to propose the prime minister's name.

The Supreme Court supported the party's position by rejecting the earlier appointment of Baciro Dja as the prime minister.

The current dispute, according to analysts, has been brought about by Vaz's desire to appoint some ministers in Correia's government, "something that violates the country's Constitution."

"The prime minister is in charge of proposing members of government," lawyer Silvestre Alves told Xinhua, citing the country's Constitution which does not allow the president to name ministers.

After having handed the new list of cabinet ministers on Friday to President Vaz, the new prime minister reaffirmed that the "appointment of ministers was a duty of the head of government."

However, the presidency refuted the prime minister's position in a statement released on the same day.

The list proposed by Correia on Friday was comprised of 34 ministers, most of them had served in the previous government led by Pereira. This, analysts said, could explain the list's rejection by Vaz.

The president, while dismissing the former prime minister, had accused nine of his cabinet ministers of corruption, without naming them or giving any evidence. Endit