Guinean opposition vow street protests as President Condé goes for third term
Opposition parties in Guinea on Tuesday announced the restart of protests against a third term for President Alpha Condé, following the announcement of his candidacy by his party for polls expect on 18 October.
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The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), a collective of political parties, trade unions and members of civil society, said in a statement on Tuesday that their movement against Condé third term had reached a “decisive phase”, AFP news agency reported.
Condé’s party, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG), said on Monday that the 82-year-old Guinean leader had accepted the party’s nomination for the October elections.
The FNDC called Condé a “ferocious dictator”, describing a potential third term in office as “illegitimate” and criticising the “cowardly” way the announcement was made, according to a communiqué shared on social media.
The opposition movement urged people to prepare themselves for up and coming demonstrations for which a date would soon be announced.
The FNDC has already staged several mass demonstrations against Condé’s bid for a third term, including the constitutional reform which enabled him standing. Protests previously faced a crackdown by Guinea security forces with dozens of people killed.
Condé enacted a new constitution in April following a referendum on changes to the text that was overwhelming backed by voters.
The constitution has a two term limit, however, supporters of the incumbent president argue that putting in place a new constitution effectively resets the counter, enabling him to stand for a third term.
Condé was originally elected in 2010, becoming the country’s first democratically elected president after decades of authoritarian regimes. He was re-elected in 2015 and his opponents accuse him of a slide into authoritarianism.
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