Guineans Set to Vote in Presidential Run-off

West Africa  |  11.07.10   By Kevin Johnson-Azuara

After decades of harsh authoritarian rule, Guineans will go to the polls Sunday to elect a president  in the West African state’s first free elections since independence from France in 1958.

The run-off poll, if it passes peacefully, could signal a turning point for the minerals-rich country and bolster efforts to develop democracy in Africa’s coup-riddled western region.

The final round of voting pits former Prime Minister Cellou Dallein Diallo against veteran opposition leader Alpha Conde, with each representing one of Guinea’s two most populous ethnic groups, the Peul and Malinke, respectively.

Analysts maintain there is a high risk of ethnic violence if the results are challenged.

The run-up to Sunday’s vote has been turbulent, with deadly clashes between rival political camps and rows over electoral preparations causing to delays to the decisive second round since the first round of voting was held in June.

To discourage voting fraud and ethnic bias, a new electoral commission chief Malian General Siaka Sangare was appointed by General Sekouba Konate, the head of the ruling military junta.

International observers were hopeful that electoral officials had laid the groundwork for a free and fair run-off to reduce the chances the results will be rejected by the loser over allegations of fraud.

The vote will end nearly two years of junta rule since a December 2008 coup, and will come close on the heels of neighboring Ivory Coast’s October 31 first round of presidential elections, which passed peacefully despite worries of political violence.

Diallo took 43.69 percent in June’s first round — making him the favorite — while Conde, who later complained of fraud undermining his score, took just 18.25 percent.

Tensions run deep between Peul supporters of Diallo and Malinke supporters of Conde after recent clashes, with neither group likely to easily accept their candidate’s loss.

The Peul, meanwhile, have long believed other ethnic groups have ganged up to keep them out of power since independence.

Ethnic tension in Guinea poses a risk to neighbors Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast — countries still recovering from the ill-effects of recent civil wars and which share Peul and Malinke populations

Kevin Johnson-Azuara is the Editor-in-Chief of PoliticsAfrica.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevinjazuara

Share it