President dissolves cabinet

The new president of Sao Tome and Principe, Fradique de Menezes, has dissolved the cabinet of Prime Minister Guilherme Posser da Costa, marking the end of a seven-year cohabitation between the country's two main parties. The Portuguese news agency, Lusa, reported de Menezes as attributing his decision to a lack of agreement at negotiations on a cabinet reshuffle. At a news conference on Wednesday, Posser da Costa said the main bone of contention had been a presidential demand for the dismissal of key ministers. De Menezes was sworn in on 3 September after winning presidential polls on 29 July. He comes from the Independent Democratic Alliance (ADI), which is also the party of his predecessor, Miguel Trovoada. Posser da Costa had become prime minister in early 1999 after his Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP) won 31 of the 55 seats in parliament. The MLSTP had also won the previous legislative election, in 1994, and had cohabitated with Trovoada since then. A media source in Sao Tome told IRIN that some analysts felt the ADI wanted early parliamentary elections so as to benefit from the high level of support shown for the president at July polls.