Alpha Condé: the controversial president of Guinea

Alpha Condé’s election as President of Guinea in 2010 was seen as a new beginning for the country after decades of authoritarian rule and political turmoil. But Condé’s controversial methods of staying in power have earned him many enemies, who accuse the leader of falling into authoritarianism himself.

Condé came to power in 2010 in the country’s first democratic elections since its independence from France in 1958. His presidency was seen by many as a new beginning, but opponents soon began to accuse him of failing to improve the lives of Guineans, the majority of them. who live in poverty despite the vast mineral wealth of the country.

In 2011, she narrowly survived an assassination attempt when gunmen surrounded her home at night and hit her room with rockets. Rocket-propelled grenades landed inside the compound and one of his bodyguards was killed.

In 2015, he was re-elected in a vote that, according to opponents, was marked by fraud.

As the end of his second term approached, Condé announced last year that Guinea’s two-term constitutional limit no longer applied and that he would seek a third term. He was eventually re-elected, but the move sparked violent street demonstrations, with the opposition saying dozens of people were killed.

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