José Mário Vaz

José Mário Vaz
President of Guinea-Bissau
Assumed office
23 June 2014
Prime Minister Rui Duarte de Barros (Acting)
Domingos Simões Pereira
Baciro Djá
Carlos Correia
Baciro Djá
Umaro Sissoco Embaló
Preceded by Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo (Acting)
Personal details
Born (1957-12-10) 10 December 1957
Calequisse, Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau)
Political party African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
Spouse(s) Rosa Teixeira Goudiaby
Religion Roman Catholicism
Signature

José Mário Vaz (born 10 December 1957) is the President of Guinea-Bissau,[1] in office since 23 June 2014.[2]

Life and career

Popularly known by the nickname "Jomav,"[3] he was born in 1957 to Mário Vaz and Amelia Gomes in Calequisse, outside the city of Cacheu in northern Guinea-Bissau, and is married with three children. He graduated as an economist in Lisbon he did an internship at the Office of Economic Studies of the Banco de Portugal in 1982.[4] In 2004, he was elected as Mayor of Bissau,[5] a position he held until 2009,[4] when he was named by President Malam Bacai Sanhá as Minister of Finance. He and the other ministers were ousted in the 2012 Guinea-Bissau coup d'etat.[6][4]

He is a member of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde and won the right to represent the party in the 2014 presidential election by besting eleven hopefuls during a two-day primary in March 2014.[3][5]

In the first round of the election, held on 13 April 2014, he won 40.9% of the votes, and entered a runoff with the second leading vote-getter, Nuno Gomes Nabiam, who was backed by the military.[7] In the second round, on 18 May 2014, he received 61.9% of the vote.[8] Though Gomes Nabiam initially contested the result, he conceded the election on 22 May 2014.[9]

During the election, Mário Vaz promised to focus on reducing poverty and increasing investment in agriculture,[6] as well as forgiveness for participation in the sorts of criminal activities that have turned Guinea-Bissau into a haven for drug traffickers. After the 2012 coup, he fled to Portugal, but returned in February 2013 and spent three days under arrest.[3] He was accused of being involved in the disappearance of €9.1 million in aid donated to the country by Angola, a charge he denies, and it remains unclear if the donation was ever sent.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Guinea-Bissau election: Jose Mario Vaz wins run-off". BBC News. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "José Mário Vaz Presidente eleito da Guiné-Bissau toma posse a 23 de junho". Notícias ao Minuto (in Portuguese). 4 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Candidato guineense José Mário Vaz promete perdão aos criminosos". Deutsche Welle (in Portuguese). 17 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "José Mário Vaz venceu as presidenciais da Guiné Bissau". RDP Africa (in Portuguese). 20 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 "José Mário Vaz é o candidato do PAIGC às presidenciais na Guiné-Bissau". Agência Angola Press (in Portuguese). 3 March 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 Dabo, Alberto (18 May 2014). "Guinea-Bissau votes in post-coup presidential runoff". Reuters. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Guinea-Bissau to hold presidential run-off". Al Jazeera English. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Dabo, Alberto (20 May 2014). "Vaz wins Guinea-Bissau presidential vote, loser rejects result". Reuters. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Dabo, Alberto; Felix, Bate (22 May 2014). "Guinea-Bissau presidential candidate Nabiam concedes run-off defeat". Reuters. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "José Mário Vaz é o candidato do PAIGC às presidenciais na Guiné-Bissau". Novas da Guiné Bissau (in Portuguese). 3 March 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
Political offices
Preceded by
Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo
Acting		 President of Guinea-Bissau
2014–present 		Incumbent
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