Guinea has not had a free election in 62 years. The people of Guinea have suffered immensely at the hands of power-hungry politicians and military leaders and there is little hope of improvement.
The Unique Result in 1958 and the Following Five Decades
In 1958, Guinea became unique in rejecting to stay under French rule while nine other African colonies chose otherwise. Mobilized by Ahmed Sekou Toure, almost the entire electorate opted for independence.
It was followed by 26 years of rule by the left-leaning leader. France had a special antagonism towards Guinea after the utter rejection to remain with her and Guinea, under Sekou Toure, was not reluctant to reciprocate the feeling.
In 1984, when Sekou Toure died, the military leader Lansana Conte gained power. He was the President until his death on December 22, 2008. Once more, the military seized power, this time under Captain Moussa Dadis Camara who led the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD).
Camara Regime: Excesses and Uncertainties
Initially, Camara promised that elections would be held within 60 days of the coup, but later he declared that they were to be held in December 2010, after a two-year interim period. Furthermore, in the following months he made contradictory statements as to whether he will run for presidency or not. It was only in May 2009 that he declared his intention of not competing in the election.
The Camara regime attracted heavy criticism over the brutal suppression of the anti-government protests on September 28, 2009. The leading members of the junta were blaming each other for this atrocity. As a result, the former chief of the Presidential guard made an unsuccessful attempt on Camara’s life.
In January 2010, an agreement was signed between Camara, acting President Sekouba Konate and the Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore in Burkina Faso with respect to the elections. It was agreed that Camara would remain in exile and a presidential election would be held in six months.
Presidential Election 2010 First Round: June 2010
There were 24 candidates for the Presidential election on June 27, 2010, including several former prime ministers. Cellou Dallein Diallo of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) obtained nearly 44% of the votes.
Since the leader did not receive 50% of the vote, a run-off election was to be held between Diallo and Alpha Conde of the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) who received just over 18% of the vote in the first round. The second round was to be held on July 18, 2010.
Repeated Postponements
The runoff election which was scheduled for July 18, 2010, was repeatedly postponed to August and then to September. Finally, the week before the September 19, 2010 election date, the Chief of the Election Commission in Guinea, Ben Sekou Sylla, was convicted of election fraud.
Just a few days later, on September 14, Sylla was reported to have died due to long term illness at a Paris hospital. These developments and continuing election related violence prompted the government to postpone the election once again indefinitely.
The Director of planning at the Election Commission of Guinea reportedly told days before the postponement that “it is highly improbable that the election will be held this Sunday.” Hundreds of voting cards had not been distributed and there was disagreement as to who would run the election after the conviction and death of the former chief of the Elections Commission.
General Sekouba Konate, acting President of Guinea told the country that it was “in danger.” He stated that “…we are moving away from our road map. I note with regret…that our country is heading for a dead end.”
Although a date was not given, some government sources have indicated that the election would be held in two or three weeks. Later it was reported that a date would be announced on September 16, 2010. But with such promises earlier in July, August and September now being history, it is still doubtful as to whether the elections will be held in the foreseeable future.
Source:
Gray, William Glenn Germany's Cold War: The Global Campaign to Isolate East Germany 1949-1969. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill and London. (2003).
Chamara Sumanapala - Greetings from Sri Lanka!!! I am a science graduate and a chemistry teacher at Royal College, Colombo. I am mainly interested in history, ...
Join the Conversation