Conde Seeks Guinea Election Win as Power Investments Deliver
- The army has moved off the streets following military rule
- Opposition candidate says election fraud may spark violence
Alpha Conde, center, waves to supporters in Conakry, on Aug. 11.
Photographer: Cellou Binani/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Guinean President Alpha Conde strengthened his bid for a second term in Oct. 11 elections against a divided opposition by securing a steady energy supply and keeping the military out of politics to shore up a transition from dictatorship to democracy.
In Africa’s top bauxite producer where political alliances are largely ethnic, the biggest risk is of clashes between supporters of Conde, 77, and those of Cellou Dalein Diallo, his main challenger in a field of eight candidates. The election is only the second democratic vote since independence in 1958. Conde may require a second round run-off to win, according to New York-based Eurasia Group analyst Ayso van Eysinga.