You know the old saying - "if at first you don't succeed..." Well obviously, it's harder to practice than to understand. Nevertheless, persistence does have its rewards - and a case in point is the eventual triumph of Malam Bacai Sanha who has succeeded in his third bid to become the elected president of Guinea-Bissau, and who took office just a week ago.

Sanha had been president before in 1999, but only in a caretaker capacity. He did run for president in the elections to choose...