Voters in Guinea formed long queues at polling stations yesterday, grasping their first chance to freely elect a leader since the coup-prone West African state won independence from France in 1958.
Observers said turnout was high in a vote which could help trigger more investment in Guinea’s vast mineral resources and unlock more aid to combat poverty. A clean vote would also boost pro-democracy camps across a region that has suffered a string of coups and tainted votes.
“Voting is peaceful, orderly and there is a sense of excitement,” Yakubu Gowon, the former Nigerian leader heading the observation mission of US-based rights group the Carter Center, told reporters, estimating turnout at 75-80 per cent.
Last September an army crackdown on pro-democracy marchers led to more than 150 deaths and took Guinea close to civil war. Weeks later, junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara was wounded in an assassination attempt and his Western-backed successor pledged to hand rule back to civilians.
With 24 candidates in the running, yesterday’s vote is unlikely to produce a clear winner. Results are expected by Wednesday, after which the front-runners are seen forming alliances in a bid to win voters for a July 18th run-off.
The streets of Conakry were quiet yesterday, with traffic much lighter than normal, and most people who were outdoors were either calmly waiting to vote or returning from doing so.
“The future president must form a government that unites the candidates,” student Diallo Mamadou Yaya (23), said of the tough task ahead for the victor, who is seen having to form alliances with rivals to build a strong government.
“Fighting corruption has to be their first priority, it cannot be tolerated. To rebuild Guinea, you have to start with that,” he said of graft that permeated President Lansana Conte’s 26-year rule until his death in 2008 led to a coup.
Guinea is the world’s top exporter of the aluminium ore bauxite, and multinational mining companies are wrestling over its lucrative iron ore resources, yet a third of the population of 10 million live in poverty.
“We’ve tried to talk about the dividends of democracy not washing over the country immediately,” said US ambassador Patricia Moller.
Some analysts had worried Nzerekore, a Camara stronghold, would be a flashpoint, but no violent incidents were reported.