New premier named in Guinea-Bissau as crisis looms

KIGALI, Rwanda

Guinea-Bissau's newly sworn-in President Umaro Sissoco Embalo named Nuno Gomes Na Biam, a former presidential candidate, as the country’s new prime minister.

Biam’s appointment is a result of consensus, said Embalo, local media reported Saturday, quoting a presidential decree.

Biam ran as a candidate in the country's presidential elections in late 2019, but was eliminated in the first round.

He rallied behind Embalo in the second round to compete with rival Domingos Simoes Pereira.

Embalo, 47, was sworn in Thursday by the parliament's first Vice President Biam, defying a legal petition on official election results.

Several party leaders