Guinea Court Upholds Referendum Results

Residents of the Guinean capital of Conakry went to the polls on March 22 to vote for proposed constitutional changes. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Guinea National Electoral Commission has confirmed constitutional changes that the public overwhelmingly supported in a March 22 referendum. According to the commission’s decision announced on March 28, 61 percent of eligible voters participated in the referendum, and 92 percent of these voters supported the changes, thus legitimizing the results. 

By extending the length of presidential terms from five to six years, the change enables current Guinean President Alpha Condé to remain in power for 12 more years, Anadolu Agency reports. The 81-year-old head of state has ruled over Guinea since the country’s transition from a military dictatorship in 2010, according to Human Rights Watch.

Under the terms of the former constitution, Condé would have been required to step down after the conclusion of his second term, which will end this year.

Beyond extending presidential terms, the referendum contained a number of progressive gender provisions, including a ban on female genital mutilation and under-age marriage and a 33 percent quota for women in parliament, according to the Japan Times.

The day of the referendum, which coincided with parliamentary elections, saw widespread protests led by the country’s opposition coalition, the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (FNDC), according to Al Jazeera. Multiple polling stations were ransacked and one location’s staff was kidnapped by protesters. The government reported that two people were killed in the violence, while the FNDC claimed security forces killed ten.

Following the elections, the U.S. Embassy in Conakry expressed concern about the legitimacy of poll results. “Our own observations, and government reports of closed or ransacked polling stations, bring into question the credibility of the announced turnout figures and results,” the embassy wrote in a press release.

The country’s 2020 elections have raised concerns in the international community. Since the constitutional changes were first proposed in October 2019, an estimated 31 people have been killed in popular protests against Condé’s perceived power grab, according to Al Jazeera.

Protests and demonstrations have been led by opposition leaders such as Cellou Diallo, who was the runner-up in both the 2010 and 2015 presidential elections. He has been a fervent critic of the constitutional changes since their announcement.

“We encourage citizens to continue to demonstrate—today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow—until our legitimate demands are satisfied,” he said at a rally in October, at which at least four protesters were killed by security forces, according to Al Jazeera. “We need a clear, firm and irrevocable declaration from Alpha Condé renouncing a third term.”