Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday said this week’s coup in neighbouring Guinea-Bissau was a sham and demanded its disrupted election to be allowed to continue, adding to a chorus of regional anger over the latest power grab.
Despite the criticism, the junta appeared to be taking steps to consolidate power, announcing on Friday the appointment of Illidio Vieira Te as prime minister and minister of finance.
The coup reflects a continued pattern of instability in Guinea-Bissau, a notorious cocaine transport hub with a long history of military interventions in politics.
Guinea-Bissau military officers installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president on Thursday, a day after soldiers toppled the civilian leadership before the results of weekend presidential and legislative elections could be announced.
GENERAL SAYS COUP TO STAVE OFF ‘NARCOTRAFFICKERS’
The presidential contest pitted incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo against Fernando Dias, a 47-year-old relative political newcomer who claimed he was on track to win.
“What happened in Guinea-Bissau was a sham. We want the electoral process to continue,” said Senegal’s Sonko, responding to questions from lawmakers. “The (electoral) commission must be able to declare the winner.”
In his first public appearance as leader on Thursday, Inta-a said the coup was necessary to stave off a plot by “narcotraffickers” to “capture Guinean democracy” and vowed to oversee a transition that would last one year, beginning immediately.
The opposition coalition backing Dias has denounced the coup as “a desperate attempt” by Embalo and his supporters to block the proclamation of election results that would have confirmed Embalo’s defeat.
Embalo arrived in Senegal on Thursday aboard a special flight following an intervention by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, Senegal’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
But the new government is headed by Embalo allies.
