Guinea-Bissau: President appoints controversial new prime minister

Guinea-Bissau's President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira appointed a long-time ally as prime minister on November 3, days after sacking the government of his political arch rival Carlos Gomes Junior. Aristides Gomes, the mastermind behind the campaign that propelled Vieira to the presidency in July, was swiftly sworn into office and promised to mend political fences and the West African nation's ailing economy. "I will form a government of national consensus that reflects all the country's political forces," Gomes told reporters after the ceremony.