President Alpha Condé of the Rally of the Guinea People Party (RPG) has won a third term in office in the just concluded elections. Mr Condé won the October 18 election with 59.5% vote landslide victory against Cellou Dalein Diallo of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea Party (UFDG) who received 33.5% of the votes. Since the announcement, there has been widespread agitation in Guinea with at least 30 people reportedly killed in post-election violence.
What else is happening in Guinea?
Issues To Consider:
- Protests had begun in Guinea earlier in the year after Alpha Conde announced his bid to run for the third term in office. While this decision was widely opposed, the incumbent still went ahead with his decision, citing a constitutional referendum in March as his leverage.
- The opening and closing of the polls were generally described as fair. The counting of votes and posting of results have been the trigger points of tension and mistrust.
- Members of the opposition described the results from the elections as a “disrespect of the Guinean electorate’s will.” and will move to challenge the results of the elections in the constitutional court.
- Opposition candidate, Cellou Diallo declared himself the winner of the elections prior to the announcement by Guinea’s electoral body. His claim of victory did not match the official results, causing confrontations between his supporters and security operatives.
- Tension and fears of post-election violence linger in Guinea. On Friday, there were reports of gunfire after the government deployed the military to the capital in anticipation of violence.
- Most parts of Guinea have been cut off from internet and phone connections according to digital rights groups.
- The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), an opposition group has called for widespread protests on Monday.
Bottomline
The political climate in the West African region has been ill at ease with protests and political unrest in countries like Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Guinea. Guinea had only started to experience political stability after Mr Condé came into democratic power in 2010 but democratic succession is not a legacy he is willing to live.
