Guinea-Bissau's President Joao Bernardo Vieira named his political ally Aristide Gomes as prime minister on Wednesday, days after dissolving the government of Carlos Gomes Junior, said reports from Bissau.

Gomes, a former top-ranking official of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), pledged to form a national unity government in which all political parties will be represented.

"No political party has a majority in the national assembly. It will be necessary to work with everybody on a consensual basis to find an amicable solution to the problems facing the country," he told reporters after the appointment.

The PAIGC denounced the appointment as unconstitutional, saying it will launch an "uninterrupted political war" against it.

The party won legislative elections in March 2004 but recently lost its parliamentary majority when Aristide Gomes and 13 other lawmakers defected to a cross-party coalition.

Vieira dismissed Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior and his cabinet late on Saturday, saying the constitution allows him to dissolve the government in case of a crisis where the stability of the country and the functioning of institutions are at risk.

Vieira, the country's veteran military ruler who was toppled six years ago, returned to power through the ballot box, winning 55.25 percent of the vote in the presidential election in July.

Aristide Gomes, 50, served as Vieira's campaign director during the elections.

Source: Xinhua