Guinea-Bissau president appoints new prime minister

The president of Guinea-Bissau, Jose Mario Vaz, has appointed the ruling party's deputy leader, Carlos Correia, as the country’s new prime minister.

The new prime minister was named in a decree read out on state radio by the president on Thursday.

Correia has already headed the government of the West African nation three times in the past.

"Let it be noted that Carlos Correia will officially be given his new role by the head of state at 16:00 GMT, (1 p.m. EDT)," said the decree, which came shortly after the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) chose Correia as the candidate for the job.

The country descended into political turmoil after Vaz sacked the prime minister, Domingos Simoes Pereira, and his government on August 13 due to a series of disputes, including the naming of a new army chief without consulting him.

The PAIGC had denounced the sacking as a "constitutional coup."

Violence has rocked Guinea-Bissau since 1974 after it gained independence from Portugal.

After independence, the country has suffered from political turmoil including a series of military coups largely due to the unprecedented expansion of the army after the war.

The country has in recent years been attracting South American drug cartels, who use it as a transit route for drugs, most notably cocaine.

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