2010 Guinean presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Guinea in 2010. They were held under the two-round system, with the first round taking place on 27 June 2010 and the second round on 7 November,[1][2][3][4] after an initial date of 18 July and several other postponements. Alpha Condé was declared the winner, with 52.52% of the votes in the second round.[5][6][7] He assumed office on 21 December 2010.

2010 Guinean presidential election
27 June 2010 (first round)
7 November 2010 (second round)
 
Nominee Alpha Condé Cellou Dalein Diallo
Party RPG UFDG
Popular vote 1,474,973 1,333,666
Percentage 52.52% 47.48%
President before election

Sékouba Konaté (acting)
Nonpartisan

 President-elect

Alpha Condé
RPG

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The elections came after a coup in 2008 and the attempted assassination of the junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara in December 2009. There were months of tension and unrest during the electoral process, in which the two main candidates represented the two largest ethnic groups in Guinea: the Fula (French: Peul;[8] Fula: Fulɓe) and the Maninka (Malinke).[6] The elections were also the first free national election held in Guinea since it gained independence in 1958.

Background

The election was originally scheduled to be held on 13 December 2009 (with a second round, if necessary, held on 27 December 2009) following the 2008 Guinean coup d'état.[9] Civilian and political groups proposed to hold them in December after legislative elections in October 2009.[10] The government agreed in late March 2009 to set the election date for 13 and 27 December,[11] but it was then again delayed until 31 January 2010.[12]

While junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara had initially stated he would not run in the election, he declared on 16 April 2009 that he, like every citizen, had the right to stand in the election.[13] On 10 May 2009, however, he stated again that neither he nor any of the other officers involved would stand in the election.[14] Despite this vow, supporters of Camara held a rally in August 2009 to call for him to take off his uniform and run in the elections. The United States felt that he had to abstain from running to ensure a free and fair election.[15]

After Camara was shot in early December 2009 and Konaté took over as the country's leader, an agreement was reached on 16 January 2010 which stipulated that Camara would remain out of the country (where he had been treated for his gunshot wounds), that a transitional government would be formed and that presidential elections would be held within six months.[2]

The election was seen as a chance to change decades of authoritarian rule following independence,[16] as well as to bring stability and foreign investment.[17] This was also the first democratic election since independence in 1958.[18]

Candidates

Twenty-four candidates were approved to run in the election,[19][20][21] among them four former prime ministers (Cellou Dalein Diallo, François Lonseny Fall, Lansana Kouyaté and Sidya Touré).

Campaign

For the run-off, at least twelve minor candidates (Francois Louceny Fall, Ousmane Kaba, Hadja Saran Daraba Kaba, Jean Marc Teliano, El Hadj Bouna Keita, Mamadou Diawara, Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, El Hadj Mamadou Sylla, Alpha Ibrahima Keira, M'Bemba Traore, Joseph Bangoura and Abraham Boure) voiced their support for Condé over the frontrunner.[22] However, Diallo gained the support of Touré, who came third.[23] Condé then also gained the support of fourth-placed Lansana Kouyaté.[24]

Conduct

As had been expected by observers, the run-off was delayed from 18 July to a later date.[25] The second round was then set for 14 August 2010.[3] On 9 August, less than a week before the runoff was to take place, the vote was delayed again, to 19 September.[4]

On 10 September, the president of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), Ben Sekou Sylla, and another official were convicted of vote-tampering during the first round of voting. The two were sentenced to "one year in prison and a fine of two million Guinea francs [$350] each for electoral fraud."[26] Sylla died in a Paris hospital on 14 September following a long illness, and the odds of holding the election on time were very low as tensions rose in the country. Boubacar Diallo, the commission's director of planning, said "It is highly improbable that the election will be held this Sunday. It is a purely technical problem."[27]

The Independent National Electoral Commission said a decision to postpone the election between Jean-Marie Dore, the interim prime minister, and the two candidates, Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Condé, was made because they needed "two weeks to prepare well." They blamed a lack of necessary voting equipment, saying it could take up to two weeks for arrangements to be in place, and that a new date was yet to be decided.[28] The dates of 10 October, and then 24 October, were proposed for the second round,[29] but on 22 October the vote was put off indefinitely.[30]

Siaka Sangare, the new head of the election commission, set 7 November as the new date for the second round of the election "after wide consultation with the different parties in the transition. It is a date that has been agreed upon, cannot be changed, and, dare I say it, I think will be the last one set for this election that the Guinean people are waiting for so much." He added that the election had previously been postponed so as to allow political parties to call for calm following violence.[31]

Violence

In the week before the second round of voting, at least 24 people were injured in clashes when supporters of Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Condé threw rocks at each other after a campaign rally. The incident occurred in several parts of Conakry, marking a sign of escalating tension ahead of the vote. Brawls were also reported near Conde's home, as well as near his Rally of the Guinean People party headquarters in Hamdallaye. The following day rioting continued killing at least one person and injuring 50.[16] 170 people were arrested following clashes between Diallo's supporters and police.[32]

Corruption

Vincent Bolloré, a French billionaire close to then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy, allegedly gave financial support to presidential candidate Alpha Condé in the election. He is suspected of having offered Condé discount on advertisements from his ad agency, which he did not equally offer to his opponent Cellou Dalein Diallo. Condé went on to become Guinean president and gave Bolloré's company port concessions. Bolloré formally denies any wrongdoing.[33]

Results

The final results of the first round were announced on 20 July 2010 after confirmation by the Supreme Court, which annulled about one-third of the votes originally cast.[34] While differing significantly from the earlier provisional results, they confirmed a runoff between Cellou Dalein Diallo and Alpha Condé, with Diallo winning 43.69% against Condé's 18.25% and Sidya Touré's 13.02%.[34][35]

A big turnout was reported for the second round.[36] Early results (from counting in the districts) for the second round indicated a close race,[37] with final results due when all ballots were brought to Conakry for counting.[38] CENI announced the preliminary results on the evening of 15 November, with Condé the winner with 52.52% of the vote on a 67.87% turnout.[5][6] Earlier in the day, both candidates claimed victory, with Diallo saying that he would not accept the CENI's provisional results until his complaints of election irregularities had been investigated.[34] Voting along ethnic lines had been expected to hurt Diallo.[38]

CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Cellou Dalein DialloUnion of Democratic Forces of Guinea772,49643.601,333,66647.48
Alpha CondéRally of the Guinean People323,40618.251,474,97352.52
Sidya TouréUnion of Republican Forces230,86713.03
Lansana KouyatéParty of Hope for National Development124,9027.05
Papa Koly KouroumahRally for the Defense of the Republic101,8275.75
Ibrahima Abe SyllaNew Generation for the Republic57,3943.24
Jean Marc TellianoRally for the Integrated Development of Guinea41,3322.33
Aboubacar SomparéUnity and Progress Party16,9470.96
Boubacar BarryNational Renewal Party14,2000.80
Ousmane BahUnion for Progress and Renewal12,1400.69
Ibrahima Kassory FofanaGuinea for All11,7780.66
Ousmane KabaLiberal Party for Unity and Solidarity9,6130.54
François Lounceny FallUnited Front for Democracy and Change8,2070.46
Elhadj Mamadou SyllaDemocratic Union of Guinea8,0160.45
Saran Daraba KabaPan-African Democratic Convention6,8150.38
Mamady DiawaraWorkers and Solidarity Party5,6410.32
Boubacar BahDemocratic Prosperous Future for Guinea5,3540.30
Alpha Ibrahima KeiraRepublican Party4,6000.26
M'Bemba TraoréDevelopment and Unity Party4,2920.24
Mamadou Baadiko BahUnion of Democratic Forces3,4090.19
Joseph BangouraUnion for the Integrated Development of Guinea3,2470.18
Abraham BouréGuinean Rally for Unity and Development2,1790.12
Fodé Mohamed SoumahGeneration of Citizens1,9840.11
Bouna KeitaRally for a Prosperous Guinea1,3340.08
Total1,771,980100.002,808,639100.00
Valid votes1,771,98090.902,808,63996.91
Invalid/blank votes177,4169.1089,5943.09
Total votes1,949,396100.002,898,233100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,778,17751.604,270,53167.87
Source: ACE Project, African Elections Database

Aftermath

After Condé was preliminarily declared the winner some members of the Fula ethnic group (which largely backed Diallo) rioted, barricading roads and destroyed homes and businesses of some Malinkes (who tended to back Conde).

On 18 November the military declared a state of emergency. Nouhou Thiam, the armed forces chief, read the decree on state television which prohibited civilians from congregating in the streets, while only the military and security personnel would have unrestricted movement. He said the decree would be enforced until the Supreme Court declared certified final results, which was to occur before 24 November.[39]

References
  1. "Election date for Guinea proposed". afrol. 22 February 2010.
  2. "Guinea to hold presidential elections in six months". Xinhua News Agency. 16 January 2010.
  3. "Guinea may hold presidential runoff in mid-August". People's Daily Online. 28 July 2010.
  4. "Guinea sets date for presidential run-off vote". BBC News Online. 9 August 2010.
  5. "Guinée : Condé déclaré vainqueur de l'élection présidentielle", Le Monde, 15 November 2010
  6. Alpha Conde declared winner in Guinea president polls, BBC News, 15 November 2010
  7. "Conde declared winner in second round run-off | RFI". 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  8. In reporting on the elections, some major English language press organizations like The New York Times and BBC have tended to use the French word "Peul" for this ethnic group rather than the English "Fula" or "Fulani."
  9. "Guinea junta pledges 2009 polls". BBC News Online. 5 January 2009.
  10. "Guinean election dates proposed". BBC News Online. 13 March 2009.
  11. "Guinea 2009 election agreed". The Times. 31 March 2009.
  12. "Guinea party backs junta leader for president". Agence France-Presse. 19 September 2009.
  13. "Guinea coup head could fight poll". BBC News Online. 16 April 2009.
  14. "Guinea coup leader will not stand". BBC News Online. 10 May 2009.
  15. "Guinea's Junta Leaders React to Pressure Not to Stand in Next Year's Elections". Voice of America. 24 August 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013.
  16. "Guinea halts poll rally amid chaos". Al Jazeera English (2010-09-12). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  17. "Guinea: Election raises hope for change", IRIN. Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  18. "Can Guineans grab hold of democracy?". BBC News. 4 November 2010.
  19. "Présidentielle en Guinée : 24 candidats pour un fauteuil". Afrik (in French). 26 May 2010.
  20. "Guinea: 24 candidates validated for Guinea's presidential election". Afrique en ligne. 26 May 2010.
  21. "Two dozen candidates – and no soldiers – in Guinea's presidential poll". France 24. 26 May 2010.
  22. "Alpha Conde gets support in Guinea's presidential run-off". People's Daily Online. 16 July 2010.
  23. "Diallo Forms Alliance for Guinea Presidential Run-Off". Voice of America. 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 8 August 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  24. "Guinea ex-PM throws behind Conde in presidential run-off". People's Daily Online. 3 August 2010.
  25. "Guinea's presidential run-off delayed over fraud claims". BBC News Online. 9 July 2010.
  26. "Guinea poll chief guilty of fraud", Al Jazeera English (2010-09-10). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  27. Doubts cloud Guinea runoff election - Africa. Al Jazeera English (2010-09-14). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  28. "Guinea presidential polls postponed". Al Jazeera English (2010-09-16). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  29. Guinea election body proposes October 10 run-off | World | Reuters. Af.reuters.com (2010-09-22). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  30. Guinea run-off election date set - Africa. Al Jazeera English (2010-10-05). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  31. Guinea run-off election date set - Africa. Al Jazeera English (2010-10-28). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  32. "170 arrested ahead of run-off in Guinea". PressTV (2010-10-21). Retrieved on 2010-11-08.
  33. Chazan, David (2018-04-24). "French tycoon accused of bribery and interfering in African elections". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  34. "Les deux candidats revendiquent leur victoire à la présidentielle guinéenne", Libération, 15 November 2010
  35. "Résultats définitifs du 1er tour de l'élection présidentielle du 27 juin 2010". Guinean National Independent Electoral Commission (in French). 20 July 2010.
  36. "Guinea sees big turnout in presidential run-off poll". BBC. 2010-11-07. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  37. "Early Returns Show Close Race in Guinea Presidential Election". VOA News. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  38. Guinea delays election results
  39. Guinean military declares emergency Al Jazeera, 17 November 2010
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