Guinean election worker explains the presidential ballot on June 27th in the country's first free and fair elections. Photo Credit CDI/COM

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.

But when you’re working in a country where the government has done little to invest in its people and infrastructure, work to prevent conflict builds key social foundations at the same time.

This has been the case of BEFORE’s work with Guinea women. As BEFORE has addressed strategic wide-spread violence prevention, it has also built foundations of peace that the entire country can stand upon.

In recognition of BEFORE’s impact, Guinea’s Minister of the Promotion of National Solidarity for Women and Children, Ms. Nanfadima Magassouba, said this in an official letter:

“I would like to thank the BEFORE Project. . . this important activity is in line with our priorities, among which conflict prevention and mediation, and peacebuilding figure prominently.”

Minister Magassouba

BEFORE’s relationship with Minister Magassouba began September 28^th, 2009, when—in broad daylight—hundreds of women and girls were raped and assaulted by the Guinean Security Forces at a political rally. After September 28^th the women of Guinea became intensely divided. Some military wives and women in the military defended their husbands and themselves, saying women should have known better and stayed at home. Survivors of September 28^th clung to their right to demonstrate without having to fear for their lives or sexual safety.

Minister Magassouba knew that women play a key role in social unity in Guinea and that this social rift could have far-reaching social implications on the country’s already fragile and tense political climate.

BEFORE and its partners immediately began working with Minister Magassouba on a Women’s Caravan of Reconciliation, National Unity and Peace – a country-wide project that focused on bringing women together in a series of dialogues around the country and a media campaigns to foster a climate of social and political peace.

In the first few weeks of the Caravan, BEFORE has already seen the impact of the Women’s Caravan. At the Women’s Caravan, Guinean women and Minister Magassouba developed a joint declaration, which outlines their support of peace and recommendations to the various government officials, women and the public.

• For more on the Caravan, including media stories, click here.

Guinean voting officials determine votes from individual ballots on the evening of June 27th, when Guineans went to the polls for the country's first multiparty presidential election.

Guinea moved one step closer toward lasting stability as the official results of its historic presidential election were released on July 2nd by the Guinea National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI). Out of the 24 candidates that ran for president, two long-standing figures in Guinean politics came out on top: former Prime Minister under the late President Lansana Conté Mr. Cellou Dalein Diallo, who received 39.72% of the votes, and veteran opposition leader Mr. Alfa Condé, who received 20.67% of the votes. The date for a run-off election between Diallo and Condé is set for July 18th, but it may be delayed until later in July or early August to allow governing bodies to deal with the logistical challenges of holding another round of elections in such a short time.

The official CENI elections results for all 24 candidates were released in French and are also available in an automatically translated English version.

In the midst of these successful elections, several promotions were granted to those members of the Guinean military who played key roles in the transition from a military-led government to a government based on constitutional law and led by elected officials. Those promoted include Interim President General Sékouba Konaté, who expressed pride in the military’s support of the elections, noting that the elections could not have happened without the military’s discipline and dedication to Guinea’s future.

Addressing Allegations & Accepting Results
Questions on elections procedures and outright allegations of elections fraud began even before the close of voting stations on June 27th. However, international elections observers declared the elections to be free and fair and a major accomplishment despite technical hitches and the need for an increased level of voter education. Statements from the international community praised Guinea for its transparent elections and encouraged peace in response to the elections results:

• African Union Preliminary Elections Observation Declaration in French
• Carter Center Preliminary Elections Statement in English
• European Union Elections Observation Mission Summary in French
• United States of America Declaration by the Deputy Secretary of State in French

Presidential candidates who wish to officially contest the elections results have until July 8th to go to the Guinea Supreme Court, which must then make its ruling within three days. While many candidates are expected to contest the results, they are also asking their supporters to maintain calm in the country – especially after dozens of protesters clashed with security forces. Interim Prime Minister Jean Marié Doré briefly banned political demonstrations protesting elections results in an effort to limit elections violence, and Interim President Konaté called together all 24 candidates on the 4th of July and asked them to help maintain calm in the country.

Moving Forward
The sense in Guinea is that the elections were a true turning point for the historically troubled-country. While hopes for future change are high, Guineans already see their new ability to freely vote as a significant and deeply meaningful shift in their lives. To learn more about how you can support Guinea on its path to lasting stability and its presidential run-off elections, take action today.

A registered voter casts his ballot on Sunday, June 27th during historic Presidential elections in Guinea (Photo Credit CDI/COM).

• a strong and surprisingly vibrant local civil society;
• concerted international diplomacy efforts based on the complimenting foreign policies of some of the most powerful countries in the world;
• a failed assassination attempt that drastically shifted the military-led government’s power;
• local leaders that wanted a change in national governance; and
• the support of regional groups, international non-governmental organizations and multilateral organizations.

BEFORE and its partners prepared for the elections through a multifaceted approach that included programs targeting reconciliation among military and civilian women, the training of local citizens to be elections mediators, the revival of traditional local and regional conflict resolution bodies, and the examination of key segments of the government, such as the Supreme Court, the security sector and the National Assembly.

Post-Elections Observations and Results
The International Foundation for Electoral Services (IFES), BEFORE’s primary partner in Guinea, noted that the elections went well as most polling station staff tried to conduct themselves in a transparent manner, even if they were not familiar with elections procedures or materials at time, and despite the fact that some voters were confused about where their polling stations were located and how to mark their ballot correctly. All major observation teams, including the African Union, the European Union and the Carter Center, also praised the election, especially given the circumstances of the tight elections preparation time frame. Most observers cited irregularities that mostly had to do with a lack of training on the part of poll workers, logistical challenges and the need for further voter education — not intentional elections fraud.

After accusations of elections fraud and legitimate logistical delays, such as difficulties in elections worker training and in tabulating ballots, the Guinea Independent Commission for National Elections (CENI) requested, and was granted by the Supreme Court, another 48 hours to count the votes accurately.

Moving Forward
The BEFORE Project would like to congratulate Guineans for the peaceful exercising of their political voices, despite the challenges they faced and commend the Interim President of Guinea, General Sékou Konaté, Interim Prime Minister Jean-Marie Doré, and all the members of the Interim National Unity Government. BEFORE looks forward to continuing its support of the consolidation of peace in Guinea.

To learn more about the work of BEFORE and its partners in Guinea or to support Guinea in this time of transition, please take action today.

Day One of the Mediation Training in Labé.

Elections give people the opportunity to affect positive change by allowing them to choose their own governing officials. However, elections also open the door to uncertainty and shifts in power, and as such they can be flash points for violence. With its history of violent clashes over political power, the June 2010 presidential elections in Guinea signaled a need for increased local capacity to resolve conflicts in a non-violent manner.

In response to this need, BEFORE, along with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), funded four workshops throughout Guinea on “Mediation in the Context of Elections.“ The workshops were conducted by MSP – a joint project of swisspeace and CSS ETH-Zurich – and International Alert (IA) and took place in the southeast city of N’zérékoré, the northwest city of Labé, the northeast city of Kankan and the capital city of Conakry in May 2010.

Workshop facilitator and participant in N'Zérékoré.

Over the span of three days, more than one hundred workshop participants familiarized themselves with the legal context of the elections, which included Guinea’s electoral law and constitution, various conflict theories, the workings of election cycles and mediation techniques and methods. Teaching by local, regional and international experts enabled participants to increase their knowledge of conflict analysis and prevention, to discuss specific topic-related mediation mechanisms, and to learn from the experiences of other African countries in regards to mediation and elections. In so far as the latter is concerned, experts from the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA) shared their knowledge on mediation and elections projects in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where elections violence and mediation are focal points in national politics.

The workshop participants were diverse in their background and selected on the basis of their political independence, community reputation and potential to work as mediators and as bridge builders in Guinean society. More than one-fifth of the participants at the first workshop in N’zérékoré were women.

Workshop participants discuss mediation methods in Labé.

Reports of the workshop indicate that local participants would welcome further workshops and trainings. BEFORE’s partners will maintain contact with the workshop participants in order to assess the workshop’s impact. IA will present a report on the results of the workshops to the Guinea Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI) to ensure that the mediation training can be integrated in local structures to further the use of mediation mechanisms and skills in Guinea to resolve conflicts.

To join BEFORE in its work to support Guinea, take action today.

Leaders from unions, youth groups, military wives associations, and local groups plan the Women's Caravan of Reconciliation.

Prime Minister Doré concluded by saying that ”Guinea is standing to speak for itself, to look forward courageously, repudiating its penchant for bad, and to move courageously towards its own development.”

Prominent members of Guinean national leadership in attendance included former Prime Minister Ahmed Tidjane Souaré, Minister of Microfinance for Youth Women Dr. Mariam Béavogui, and Minister of Tourism and Hotels Mrs. Mariam Sy Diallo.

To read the Guinean national media outlets coverage of the launch of the event, click on the following links below:

• Kababachir coverage in French, or the automatically translated English version
• RPG Guinée coverage in French, or the automatically translated English version
• Guinée Live coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• Guinée Nouvelle coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• Boubah coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• Aminata coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version
• AfricaLog coverage in French, or in an automatically translated English version

To help support the people of Guinea in their bid for peace, join BEFORE and take action today.

After months of international diplomacy and the work of local and regional civil society groups and an assassination attempt on Captain Camara, a peace agreement was signed in Burkina Faso in January 2010.

While the agreement paved the way for a national unity government, and a return to constitutional law through presidential elections on June 27, 2010, it did not heal the social rifts caused by the brutal September 28th events – especially within the female population. Some spouses of the soldiers and women in the military defended their husbands and themselves and said the civilian women were responsible for the events of September 28th. The female protesters clung to their democratic right to demonstrate without having to fear for their lives or sexual safety.

Women in Guinea were historically integral in the struggle for freedom and national unity. They will be a key element in Guinea’s presidential elections this month as 53% of the voting population.

BEFORE quickly responded to a request from the Guinean Minister of National Solidarity for Women and Children to supporting a series of dialogues, media campaigns and reconciliation efforts with local military and civilian women’s groups in the major cities throughout the entire country of Guinea.

Leaders from unions, youth groups, military wives associations, and local groups plan the Women's Caravan of Reconciliation.

Read about the Women’s Caravan in French or English on ReliefWeb.

To support the women of Guinea, take action today.

Who: Dr. Heinz Krummenacher, PhD., CEO of the BEFORE Project
What: Brown Bag Lunch on BEFORE in practice and principle
When: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Where: CBCPR Conference Room, One UN Plaza, DC1-20th Floor, New York

BEFORE CEO, Dr. Heinz Krummenacher, discusses the work of the BEFORE Project, both in principle and in practice including their ‘active violence prevention’ work in Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Started in 2008 as a joint swisspeace and the Alliance for Peacebuilding project and governed by a Board of renowned peacebuilding practitioners, the project works to prevent violent conflict in fragile states based on several key principles and guidelines:

· local leadership in peacebuilding efforts (where international experts only provide guidance),
· a comprehensive approach, addressing both structural and operational forms of prevention,
· cooperation between state, supra-state and civil society actors,
· flexibility to quickly adapt to changing circumstances,
· long-term involvement since durable peace cannot be achieved overnight.

In the last two weeks in May, the workshops are held in four different regions across the country, Conakry, Nzérékoré, Kankan, Labé so that a wide segment of the population and country can benefit from the trainings.

More than 100 people, who could play the very important role of mediators during the elections due to their social and political influence and their bridging function between official authorities and civil society, are spending three days with international, regional and local election-related mediation experts (from International Alert, the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa – EISA and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs). The objectives of the workshop are to raise people’s awareness of potential conflicts before, during and after the elections, to explicate the role that mediators can play in their prevention and/or resolution as well as to establish a network of mediators so as to provide conflicting parties with a long-term perspective for Guinea’s future. The participants are also linked up with the National Electoral Commission in order to support conflict prevention during the presidential, legislative and communal elections.

Take action today to learn more about BEFORE’s work in Guinea and to make a contribution to support Guinea’ historic presidential elections.

When: Saturday, March 27, 2010
What: Radio story on BEFORE’s Presentation of Reflections on Guinea’s Parliament and Judicial System
Where: Radio KanKan

In late March 2010, BEFORE presented two papers on Guinea’s Parliament, called the National Assembly, and Supreme Court to Guinean government officials.

Prime Minister Jean-Marie Doré, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Francophone Africa, and members of the Guinea Council on National Transition (CNT) received the documents, saying that the documents were timely and expressing hope that the information would add to the improvement of institutions in Guinea.

Take action to help strengthen institutions in Guinea and support peace today.