Ending the political stalemate in Guinea?

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyses the political crisis in Guinea as of June 2013, focusing on the deadlock surrounding the legislative elections and the persistent ethnic tensions between the Peul and Malinké communities following the 2010 presidential elections.

• The 2010 presidential elections, which brought Professor Alpha Condé to power with 52.52 per cent of the vote, left a highly polarised political environment. The process was marked by a five-month delay between rounds and an electoral strategy in the second round that focused on excluding the Peul community from power.
• Legislative elections scheduled for 30 June 2013 faced a stalemate due to disputes over the electoral list and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The opposition questioned the neutrality and technical capacity of Waymark Infotech, the South African company hired to prepare the list, and the independence of INEC.
• Political rivalry in Guinea is deeply intertwined with ethnic tensions, specifically between the Peul and Malinké groups. This rivalry is used as a political tool, with the opposition claiming that the government engages in 'targeted repression' against the Peul community.
• The lack of a functioning National Assembly has created a legitimacy crisis, as the National Transition Council (NTC) has served as an ad hoc legislative organ since 2008. The re-establishment of the Assembly is seen as essential for completing the democratic architecture and enabling the creation of other legitimate institutions like the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission.
• The political crisis is exacerbated by socio-economic despair and a struggle between financial and political networks. Protest movements are often driven by deteriorating living conditions, such as unemployment and power cuts, rather than ideological convictions.
• Regional instability and porous borders increase the risk of violence in Guinea, with concerns that the country could be used as a transit zone for drugs from Guinea Bissau or see the influx of weapons and mercenaries from neighbouring states including Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, and Senegal.

APA

Zounmenou, D., & Toupane, P. M. (2013). Ending the political stalemate in Guinea? Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWASReport4ENGJun2013.pdf

Chicago

Zounmenou, David, and Paulin Maurice Toupane. Ending the political stalemate in Guinea? Institute for Security Studies, 2013. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWASReport4ENGJun2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zounmenou |first1=David |last2=Toupane |first2=Paulin Maurice |title=Ending the political stalemate in Guinea? |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2013 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWASReport4ENGJun2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zounmenou2013ending, author = {Zounmenou, David and Toupane, Paulin Maurice}, title = {{Ending the political stalemate in Guinea?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2013}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWASReport4ENGJun2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }