Yesterday, the people of the Republic of Guinea casted their votes for the next president in the second democratic election since independence for the west African country. The incumbent president, Alpha Conde has been tipped to win, though he faces major opposition from Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure, both former prime ministers of Guinea. With about eight political parties set to battle it out, the possibility of post-election violence could have marred the election billed as ‘one of the most high-risk polls in the history of the nation’, but yesterday things were relatively calm in the West African nation. Guinea, a country still recovering from an Ebola epidemic in 2014, has a history of election violence. Last week clashes in the capital Conakry between supporters of the two main parties, wounded 15 people by gunshots. In addition, earlier this month, one person was reportedly killed while another 30 were wounded in the south-eastern part of the country.
Prior to the election, the opposition party called for the postponement of the polls by a week citing that there were mistakes in the electoral register. And while citizens await the results, Conde’s rivals have vowed to dispute the outcome of Sunday’s elections on the basis of “anomalies and irregularities.” Here is an overview of the major protagonists for the election.
Alpha Conde
Alpha Conde who is the current President of Guinea, is seeking a second and final term in Guinea. He is a member of the Assembly of the People of Guinea (RPG). He became the first democratically-elected President of Guinea in 2010 after surpassing Cellou Dalein Diallo in two election rounds. Cellou Dalein Diallo is contesting against him again this year. Perhaps Alpha Conde’s key achievement is the Kaleta Dam which was completed in May. Many Guineans have already suggested Conde will win through cheating, “the government’s cheating machinery is already working at full capacity. They have put enough money aside to bribe people and distribute voting papers already marked in favor of the governing RPG party.”
Cellou Dalein Diallo
A member of the Fulani tribe, which is the major ethnic tribe in Guinea, Diallo is currently President of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea party and also their presidential candidate. Having served as Prime Minister of Guinea between 2004 and 2006, Diallo represents the greatest threat to Alpha Conde’s bid for a second term. He won the first round of elections against Conde in 2010, winning with 40 percent of the vote. He however lost the second round. Cellou Dalein Diallo is also somewhat of a hero in Guinea. Three of his ribs were broken when he was wounded by soldiers while taking part in a protest against Guinea’s military ruler in 2009. About 157 people were allegedly killed in the violence as well.
Sidya Toure
Sidya Toure is currently President of the Union of Republican Forces (UFR) and also their presidential candidate. A former Prime minister of Guinea himself, he is often called a “reform-minded technocrat”. He also suffered a minor head injury in the 2009 violence, famously known for sneaking a call to BBC Focus on Africa in the bathroom to give accounts of the attack under the watchful eyes of the military.
People of Guinea
About six million Guineans, which is half the population of Guinea, have registered to vote in the West African nation. However, most of the voting population is torn between voting for Alpha Conde and Cellou Diallo. There have been repeated instances of violence between supporters of the two candidates, with predictions that the violence is unlikely to end even after elections.
Other protagonists include candidates of the five other political parties; Papa Koli Kourouma, Dr. Faya Millimouno, Lansana Kouyate, Georges Gandhi Faraguet and Marie Madeleine Doubate (the only female candidate).
