Tuesday, May 27, 2014

PAIGC Wins Presidential Elections In Guinea-Bissau
Newly-elected Guinea-Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz on right.
Thu, May 22 2014

BISSAU (Reuters) - The losing candidate in a run-off election for Guinea-Bissau's presidency, Nuno Gomes Nabiam, said on Thursday he accepted the results after initially rejecting them citing alleged fraud.

Nabiam's concession to election winner Jose Mario Vaz could ease tensions in the coup-prone West African nation that has been in turmoil since a 2012 military takeover.

A successful conclusion of the vote would also offer the country a fresh start and renewed cooperation with donors after decades of instability since independence from Portugal.

"For the sake of peace and stability, I accept the results published by the electoral commission," Nabiam told a news conference in the capital Bissau.

Electoral commission results on Tuesday showed Vaz, a former finance minister and candidate for the dominant African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), won Sunday's election with 61.9 percent of the vote to Nabiam's 38.1 percent.

Although he ran as an independent candidate, Nabiam, who comes from the Balanta ethnic group, which is the country's largest, was seen as close to Bissau's army which has always meddled in the country's politics.

Guinea-Bissau's last election in 2012 was abandoned after soldiers under General Indjai stormed the presidential palace just days before another PAIGC candidate, Carlos Gomes Junior, appeared poised for victory in a scheduled run-off.

(Reporting by Alberto Dabo; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)


Sahara Press Service (El Aaiun)

Western Sahara: President of Republic Congratulates New President of Guinea Bissau

24 MAY 2014

Birlehlu — The President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Mohamed Abdelaziz, sent a letter of congratulations to the new President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, HE José Vaz who Marios, who won the elections of May 18, wishing him every success.

"On behalf of the Government and the Sahrawi people, please accept my sincere congratulations and through you to the leadership of the PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde) as well as the people of Guinea-Bissau, "wrote the President of the Republic to his counterpart of Guinea Bissau.

Mohamed Abdelaziz reiterated his willingness to open up a phase of solid relations of friendship and cooperation between the two governments (SADR and Guinea Bissau).

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