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Guinea Conakry: June the 27th, a true turning point for the country
The independent national electoral commission (CENI) began to distribute the polling cards. It is for the first time in the country’s history, that people will use a unique bulletin to choose their candidate. The CENI announced that 6261 polling stations will be opened on June 27th to allow the 4 million voters to their President.
On the ground, tensions between certain candidates were underlined, and surprises noticed, in particular between Alpha Condé and Celou Dalein Diallo. Certain candidates had accused Alpha Condé of being supported by France, and Paris has released an official denial. As for the acting President, General Sékouba Konaté, he had declared not supporting any candidate. It is also necessary to consider that the risks of the ethnic skid are very tangible.
“the Guinean political parties are conceived on ethnic bases. Certain voters are more interested in the ethnic group to which belongs the candidate more than to his social project”. Hence, experts are afraid that the voters’ ethnocentricity choice will take it over any other logic consideration. In Guinea, certain candidates have their own electoral stronghold: the Fulani North for Cellou Dalein Diallo, former Prime Minister and leader of the Union of the democratic Forces (UFDG). The East “mandingue” or “Malinké” for Alpha Condé, the historic opponent and leader of the Union of the people of Guinea (RPG) and the Atlantic West, “Subsou”, for Sidya Touré, the leader of the Union of the Republican Forces (UFR). They are considered as the “heavyweights” of the coming ballot.
Though risks of electoral violence remain, but officials and international observers hope the vote will be a successful one and Guinea’s first free and fair election since independence in 1958.