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A poor and vulnerable segment of the population, women in Guinea who aspire to leadership roles face a steep climb. The literacy rate for women is only 18 percent, compared to 42 percent for men, and in the last civilian government, women occupied only 19 percent of the seats in the national assembly and 15 percent of positions at the ministerial level.
But with legislative elections scheduled for early next year, NDI is working to help a great number of these women overcome the odds to become elected leaders.
Guinea
President Lansana Conté, who had ruled Guinea for 24 years, passed away on December 22, 2008. Hours after his death, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara seized power in a bloodless coup, proclaimed himself president, and announced the formation of the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD), a 32-member transitional body whose stated aim is to root out government corruption, foster stability, and protect Guinea’s territorial integrity. He has since reshuffled the military hierarchy, appointed several military officers to senior level government positions, and issued an ambitious reform agenda.
The United States, European Union, African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and other international actors condemned the coup and called on the CNDD to organize elections before the end of 2009. Upon assuming power, Camara stated that free and fair elections would take place in two years and that he would not stand in those elections.
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