Despite his weakening health, President Lansana Conté continues to cling to power since the 1984 coup that brought him to the presidency. In recent years, his apparent inability to carry out his presidential duties, combined with the deteriorating delivery of public services, has exacerbated political and social tensions in the country. In November 2001, the opposition boycotted a constitutional referendum that lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years and abolished term limits. Opposition parties also abstained from the latest legislative and presidential elections, organized in June 2002 and December 2003 respectively. The international community questioned the credibility of both elections.
Early this year, Guinea's two major workers' unions – the National Confederation of the Guinean Workers (CNTG) and the Trade Union of the Guinean Workers (USTG) – led a highly organized general strike. The strike evolved into a protest, in which the unions demanded that President Conté step down or appoint a consensus prime minister to lead the government. The use of excessive force to repress the demonstrations left over 100 civilians dead and over 500 wounded. Mediation efforts by Ibrahima Babangida, special ECOWAS envoy for Guinea and former president of Nigeria, coupled with the refusal by the National Assembly (dominated by Conté’s own party) to extend a state of emergency, led the embattled president to appoint veteran diplomat Lansana Kouyaté prime minister on February 26.
Since that time, Guineans have indicated a growing dissatisfaction with the performance of the Kouyaté government. Political parties and civil society groups, frustrated by continued economic stagnation and further decline of government services, have openly criticized Kouyaté in recent months. On July 4, the CNTG and USTG published an open letter to Kouyaté detailing his failures.
Legislative elections, originally scheduled for June 2007, have been repeatedly postponed, in part due to the strikes and delays in organizing and securing sufficient funding for the election process. Guinean party leaders as well as observers of the Guinean political landscape now believe that the elections will be postponed to sometime in 2008.
Past Activities
Strengthening Political Processes
NDI's efforts to democratize political processes in Guinea began before the 1998 presidential election, when the Institute trained political party poll-watchers and conducted radio-based voter education. Guineans from a variety of backgrounds acknowledged the contribution of NDI's work to the reduction of political tensions at that time.
Promoting Inter-party Dialogue
Following NDI-sponsored study missions to Morocco in 1999, representatives of Guinean political parties produced a joint declaration on the important principles of democracy, the first multiparty public statement of its kind. A subsequent study mission in Ireland in 2000 further enhanced dialogue. In 2001, NDI conducted a series of forums around the country that focused on inter-party dialogue, democratic principles, and issues of national and local concern. NDI also organized a series of colloquiums in Guinea's capital, Conakry, and in each of the country's regions, that brought together political party leaders and government officials to discuss topics such as the need for neutral administration of the electoral process and ways to collaborate to reduce political violence.
Political Party Strengthening
In preparation for the 2003 presidential elections, NDI provided training to members of Guinean political parties to help enhance their capacity to actively participate in the campaign and election. NDI developed a manual, translated into eight local languages, to supplement a series of trainings-of-trainers for political party activists across the country interested in monitoring the voter registration process. In collaboration with a forum of women political party activists, NDI also produced a series of radio messages to encourage Guineans, particularly women and youth, to register to vote.
In June of 2003, NDI sponsored a roundtable for high-level political party representatives to discuss the future of the political process in Guinea. The participants discussed a series of reforms, which they subsequently transmitted as recommendations to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, including:
Transparent ballot boxes and the single ballots;
Neutrality of the election commission;
Equal access to state media for all parties;
Publication of a private media law;
Mobilization of national and international election observation missions;
Realistic timeline for presidential elections;
Partnership with donors to support the electoral process.
Participation of Women and Youth in Political Processes
NDI has worked with women and youth members of political parties in Guinea since 2000 to build their leadership, public speaking, political communication, and lobbying skills. Following a September 2001 study mission to Dakar, women members of Guinean political parties conducted a multiparty lobbying effort encouraging party leaders to ensure greater opportunities for women. NDI also provided technical assistance to female political party representatives in campaign skills, grassroots constituency outreach, advocacy, and lobbying strategies.
In June of 2003, NDI held a seminar to aid women members of eight major political parties in developing their political communication and leadership skills. Both national and international experts gave presentations on a number of subjects, including the participation of women in modern political parties and the recruitment of women voters.
In the lead up to the 2003 presidential elections, NDI decided to suspend its activities in Guinea following the government's refusal to put in place minimum standards for a credible electoral process that would permit the equal participation of all political actors.
Most recently, in November 2006, NDI implemented a program in support of Guinean women's political participation. The program was initiated to help increase women's participation in political processes through the legislative elections expected in June 2007. Funding for the program ended on July 15, 2007. Through NDI’s trainings, 30 Guinean women political activists enhanced their understanding of the steps involved in an effective electoral campaign, including campaign organizing, advocacy, fundraising, filing of paperwork, and the development and delivery of a campaign message. In advance of the elections, now expected in 2008, the Institute is pursuing funding for further programming to advance women’s participation in the democratic process.
NDI's programs in Guinea are funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Contact Information
For further information on our programs in Guinea, please contact:
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