Guinea Sets Run-Off Presidential Election Date

After much deliberation, increasing tension and encouragement from the international community, Guinea’s Supreme Court, Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), interim National Unity Government and presidential candidates have agreed on a run-off presidential election date: September 19, after the Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan and the rainy season peak.

Under the country’s constitution, the run-off election was to have taken place on August 14th, but it took 6 weeks to finalize a date thanks to numerous appeals and complex political dynamics.

For weeks Guinea’s Supreme Court deliberated on all official complaints related to the elections, including the appeals of nearly all of the original 24 presidential candidates and accusations of partisanship on the part of some CENI members. The internal divisions have always plagued the 25 member electoral commission, of which 20 represent political parties. Two commissioners reputedly close to the political party Union for Democratic Forces for Guinea (UFDG) were summoned to court for allegedly keeping elections results from the Supreme Court.

When the Supreme Court made the decision to uphold the election results of the first round, in which Cellou Dallein Diallo, former Prime Minister and head of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), and Alpha Condé, long-time government opposition leader and head of the Rally for the Guinean People (RPG), were the front runners, tensions began to rise as alliances were quickly negotiated and formed.

Meanwhile, political parties were also negotiating the run-off date of the election. Some wanted to quickly hold the run-off elections, while others wanted the assurance that the second round of elections would be free of the many irregularities witnessed on June 27, which included ballots cast by non-existent voters. It was argued that more time was needed to implement the mechanisms that help ensure fair elections. Some within the National Unity Government have been uneasy with the speed of the electoral process, given the fact that Guinea had not even had an election for six years and had only 6 months to hold these presidential elections.

In early August, even international actors, including Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore and Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade, traveled to Guinea to encourage the continuation of the elections.

Another Significant Bridge Crossed

CENI is now trying to mend its internal divisions and prepare for the run-off elections, the most important of which include reallocating polling stations and retraining poll workers.

Many see this presidential election as Guinea’s chance to end the more than half century of harsh authoritarian rule. To begin with, a rule-of-law based Guinea could bring back weary international companies. It is largely understood that the country’s political turmoil is responsible for a decline in exports and international investments.

Guinea has the world’s largest bauxite reserves, a mineral needed for the production of aluminum, but the country is one of the poorest in the world. Guinea has extremely high infant mortality rates, an indicator of the overall health of a country, and literacy rates that barely reach 30%. A top United Nations’ official in West Africa said the biggest achievement the region could hope for was a stabilized Guinea, which shares a border with civil war-scarred Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

To be a part of Guinea’s historic opportunity for peace and freedom, take action today.