CIAO DATE: 10/2011
September 2011
"Guinea: Putting the Transition Back on Track", the latest report from the International Crisis Group, warns that President Alpha Condé’s unilateral effort to overhaul the electoral system has gained little praise, and that with his party’s gloomy prospects for the legislative elections, suspicion is increasing. “The legacy of Condé’s election is cause for some concern because it gave new impetus to the idea that Guinea’s history is a struggle between its four major ethno-regional blocs”, says Vincent Foucher, Crisis Group’s Senior West Africa Analyst. “Moreover, Condé has done too little too late to promote reconciliation and dialogue with the active opposition”. Condé’s accession to power in 2010 provided an extraordinary opportunity to end 50 years of authoritarianism and economic stagnation, but his government faces immense challenges with limited means. The authorities show willingness to provide good economic and financial governance, but strict budgetary discipline will depress the economy, at least in the short term. It is worrying that dialogue with the opposition has begun only recently and with much ambiguity. Although the security forces were responsible for the worst violence during the presidential election, political mobilisation along ethnic lines sparked clashes and claimed victims. Organisational weaknesses of the electoral process fed these tensions by prompting fraud claims at every stage. The new government has done little to cope with this grim legacy, being slow to organise the legislative elections, which are indis-pensable for completing the institutional arrangements required by the constitution.
Resource link: Guinee: Remettre la Transition sur les Rails [PDF] - 1.4M