Guinea-Bissau’s Interim Leader Quits After Death Threats

(Bloomberg) --

Cipriano Cassama resigned Sunday after serving just one full day as the Guinea-Bissau's interim president, saying his life and the stability of the country were in danger.

“An interim president needs to have all the security conditions to fulfill his duties,” Cassama, the speaker of parliament, told reporters in the capital, Bissau. “Today my life's in danger, my family's life's in danger, the life of the people is in danger. That's why I've decided to resign.”

Cassama was sworn in by lawmakers late on Feb. 28 after the PAIGC party, which holds a majority in parliament, rejected the swearing-in a day earlier of Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the winner of a Dec. 29 presidential run-off election in the West African nation.

Outgoing President Jose Mario Vaz had handed over power to Embalo at a hotel in Bissau last week. The PAIGC claims that Embalo's victory was marred by fraud and its losing candidate, Domingos Simoes Pereira, is demanding a recount.

The political feud is threatening more turmoil in one of the world's poorest countries, which has previously been a haven for gangs smuggling cocaine from South America into Europe. Record cocaine busts in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde last year have fueled fears of a resurgence of drug trafficking in West Africa that's likely to benefit Islamist militants in the region.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katarina Hoije in Abidjan at khoije@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Davis at abdavis@bloomberg.net, Gordon Bell, Paul Richardson

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