AFRICA/GUINEA - Supreme Court confirms the election of Alpha Condé as Head of State

Conakry (Agenzia Fides) - The Supreme Court of the Republic of Guinea has confirmed the election of Alpha Condé to Head of State. The Supreme Court decision was announced on the night between 2 and 3 December. “The Candidate of the Union for the People of Guinea (Rassemblement du Peuple de Guinée, RPG), Alpha Condé, having received 1,474,973 votes, or 52.52% of the votes cast, shall be elected President of the Republic,” announced the magistrate Mamadou Sylla. The Supreme Court thus confirmed the result announced by the Election Commission on 15 November (see Fides 16/11/2010).
“In the capital, Conakry, movement is still reduced because the state of emergency will only be lifted after Sunday, 5 December,” a source from the local Church told Fides. “In this Country, both in the press and on local Internet sites disparate “rumours” are multiplying, from loads of firearms entering the country from Mali and Senegal, to the mass exodus of Peuls from Conakry. This is the work of “preachers of anguish” but it does not correspond to reality. It is true that some people from Peul have left they city due to security fears, but I do not think we can talk about mass exodus,” said our source. The Peuls are only one of four ethnic groups in the Country that has never produced a President. The challenger of Condé, Cellou Dallein Diallo (Peul), had appealed to the Supreme Court challenging the outcome of the vote.
“Despite the closeness between Guinea and the Côte d'Ivoire, I do not think that what is happening in the neighbouring country will affect the politics of Guinea. The Guineans are determined to end the crisis. This, however, still requires patience and prudence. After the state of emergency is lifted we can
see if Guinea has truly taken the road of democracy and peace,” concluded the source of Fides.
Conde, 72, is considered the historical opposition to all the dictatorships in Guinea since independence. In 1970 he was sentenced to death in absentia under the regime of President Ahmed Sékou Touré (1958-1984). After a long exile in France, where he taught law at the Sorbonne in Paris, Condé returned to Guinea in the 90s. He was also jailed for two years under the regime of President Lansana Conté (1984-2008). (LM) (Agenzia Fides 03/12/2010)