Carlos Correia

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Carlos Correia (born 1933) is a Guinea-Bissau politician. He served as Prime Minister from December 27, 1991 to October 26, 1994 and again from June 6, 1997 to December 3, 1998.

During Guinea-Bissau's war for independence, Correia was a member of the PAIGC, which ruled the country until 1999. In the administration of Francisco Mendès in the 1970s, Correia was Minister of Finance. In the 1980s, he was a member of the Politburo of the PAIGC and responsible for agriculture and fishery in the state council.

After this office was created again after having been abolished in 1984, Correia became Prime Minister on December 27, 1991 under President João Bernardo Vieira. After the first free presidential and parliamentary elections in July 1994, which the PAIGC won, Manuel Saturnino da Costa succeeded him as head of government on October 27.

After da Costa's discharge on May 26, 1997, Correia became Prime Minister once again on June 6. However, in October of the same year the highest court of the country considered Correia's nomination to be unconstitutional, because parliament had not been consulted. A week later, his nomination was approved. His second term in office, which lasted until December 3, 1998, was overshadowed by the rebellion of Ansumane Mané. Mané was dismissed as chief of staff of the armed forces in June 1998, which led him to rebel against the government and start the civil war, which lasted until the peace agreement between the government and rebels in November 1998. The agreement would last for about three months.

After Vieira was overthrown in May 1999, Correia and other supporters of the president were arrested, but was only incarcerated for a short time. In February 2003, during Kumba Ialá's presidency, Correia and four other members of the PAIGC were arrested for the execution of five people after a failed coup in 1986, but he was released after four days.^[1]

In 2005, he was shortly considered as presidential candidate for his party, but Malam Bacai Sanhá was nominated instead. Sanhá later lost to Vieira in a run-off vote.