Alpha Conde sworn as Guinea's first democratically elected president

[News_Editor]

Alpha Conde sworn as Guinea's first democratically elected president

2010-12-22 07:16:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

CONARKY, GUINEA (BNO NEWS) -- Alpha Conde was sworn in as the first democratically elected president in Guinea on Tuesday in a ceremony which was attended by leaders from Africa and Europe.

According to AfricaNews, Conde is seen as the first democratically-elected leader since the West African country became independent from France in 1958. Conde was elected president after gaining 52 percent of the votes over Prime Minister Cellou Diallo in the November run-off vote.

Since 1958, Guinea has had authoritarian rulers that have left the minerals-rich country in misery and most of its 10 million inhabitants suffer from electricity shortages, lack of clean water and jobs. Conde is seen as a leader that might turn things for the better in the African country.

The ceremony was held in the Guinean capital of Conarky and was attended by several African heads of state from South Africa, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Sierra Leona, Liberia and Senegal. The veteran opposition leader took his oath after enduring years of fighting against former dictators.

"Traffic has paralyzed the city, because so many people are attending the ceremony," said Thierno Balde of Guinea's Research Institute on Democracy and the Rule of Law, as cited by local media. "It's a new beginning for Guinea and now we are going to have a new democratically-elected president."

The presidential elections included a close contest between Conde and Diallo as it required a second round of voting due to the fact that the first round, held in June, did not result in a winner. The run-off poll results were certified by Guinea's Supreme Court.

However, violence erupted in the West African country as supporters of Diallo went to the streets to protest against the results which Diallo said were marred by a massive voting fraud and accused Guinea police forces of brutality.

During the riots, two people were killed and dozens more were injured. Provisional results, released on November 15, initially indicated that Diallo was on the lead with a narrow difference. However, after all votes were counted, opposition candidate Condé finished ahead of the former Prime Minister.

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