Guinea 2019

Yearbook 2019

Guinea. In January, a three-month teacher strike ended and schools could be reopened. The agreement that the teachers’ union concluded with the government included a 40 percent increase in salaries and promises of negotiations on a basic salary for teachers.

The opposition gathered during the year to try to prevent President Alpha Condé from being able to extend his time in power. The president’s second term expires in October 2020 and he is prohibited from running for the next election, according to the constitution. However, Condé’s party is proposing a constitutional amendment that will allow more than two terms of office. Alpha Condé’s September statement that citizens should prepare for elections and referendums fueled rumors that the president is also in favor of amending the constitution. The latter was confirmed in December when Condé presented a draft new constitution.

Earlier in the year, in April, several opposition parties formed the Alliance National Front for the Defense of the Constitution. A few days later, one of the parties, the Liberal bloc, demonstrated outside the parliament building. They objected to the opening of a new session of the National Assembly despite the expiry of the parliamentary mandate in January. The term of office is five years, but no parliamentary elections have been held since September 2013. The leader of the Liberal bloc, Faya Millimouno, and several of the party hangings were arrested during the protests. In May, seven people were sentenced to three months in prison after demonstrating outside a sports arena where President Condé was speaking. According to the allegations, they had disturbed the general order.

• ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG: Click to see the meanings of 3-letter acronym and abbreviation of GIN in general and in geography as Guinea in particular.

September

Guinea closes border with Guinea-Bissau and Senegal

September 29

Guinea closes its borders with Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. Sources in Conakry tell the news agency AFP that the decision is made for security reasons. Relations between Guinea’s and Guinea-Bissau’s presidents have been strained since Guinea’s President Alpha Condé sought to mediate in Guinea – Bissau’s political crises. According to AFP, Guineans living in Guinea-Bissau have tried to get home to vote in the upcoming presidential election, as they have had difficulty doing so at the Guinea consulate in Guinea-Bissau. Many of these Guineans belong to the Fulani people, where the opposition is strong.

Trial for massacres is announced

September 28

The trial of 12 people accused of massacring at least 157 people and raping 109 women in 2009 will soon be brought to justice (see September, October and December 2009). It announces a court in the capital Conakry. The criminal investigation was completed in 2017, but since then the process has stalled. Earlier in September, the US, French and EU embassies called on the authorities to start the trial as soon as possible.

Condé is accused of playing on ethnic contradictions in election numbers

September 24

Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo accuses President Alpha Condé of playing out ethnic differences ahead of the October presidential election, risking a civil war. This is mainly a speech, delivered in Condé’s native Malinke, in which he urged voters not to vote for another Malinke candidate, as it would in principle be the same as voting for Cellou Dalein Diallo, who belongs to the Fulani people.

FNDC calls for protests

16 September

The opposition National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC) calls on residents of Conakry and the surrounding area to gather on September 29 to protest against President Alpha Condé and his decision to run in the October presidential election. This is despite the fact that all crowds of more than 100 people are banned due to the corona pandemic. Condé’s critics accuse him of gradually becoming more authoritarian in his rule of the country.

Election boycott or not. Difficult choice for the opposition

September 15

President Alpha Condé’s candidacy in the October presidential election has sparked protests around the country, not least in the capital Conakry and in the country’s third largest city, Kankan, which is a stronghold of the ruling Guinean People’s Coalition Party (RPG). Clashes between protesters have led to several deaths and many people have been injured. The election also creates tensions within the opposition. The National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), formed by the main opposition parties, several trade unions and other representatives of civil society, is now divided on the question of whether the opposition should run in the election or not. Parts of the FNDC advocate an election boycott, while other forces believe that the opposition should participate.

Criticism of new voting

September 14

According to the opposition, the ballot paper published today is incorrect in a way that is considered to favor President Alpha Condé. Of the approximately 5.4 million names on the list, 22 percent are in the Kankan region, which is a stronghold of the president and his RPG party, while the Labe region, where the opposition UFDG is strong, comprises only 8 percent of the names. In the run-up to the referendum on a new constitution, international observers criticized the credibility of the ballot paper at the time.

Ready sign for twelve presidential candidates

September 9th

The Constitutional Court approves twelve candidates in this autumn’s presidential election, including 82-year-old President Alpha Condé and opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo. A candidate is rejected with reference to medical reasons.

Cellou Dalein Diallo is running in the presidential election

September 6

Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo has announced that he will run in the October presidential election. The UFDG leader says he is standing up to defeat President Alpha Condé via the ballot box. The opposition claims that Condé’s candidacy is against the constitution.

Population 2019

According to CountryAAH, the population of Guinea in 2019 was 12,771,135, ranking number 75 in the world. The population growth rate was 2.880% yearly, and the population density was 51.9748 people per km².