Guinea’s President Alpha Conde on Friday announced the constitutional referendum and legislative polls which were scheduled to take place on Sunday has been delayed for two weeks, reported Africa News.
He said the decision to postpone the election was taken over concerns raised by the opposition and international observers about the electoral roll.
“It is out of national and sub-regional responsibility that we accepted a slight postponement of the election date,” Condé said on national television.
The president said the government must always work within the framework of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the African Union.
“This is neither a capitulation nor a retreat,” added Mr. Condé.
He assured that the people of Guinea will freely express their choice through the referendum and freely choose their deputies in the elections.
Earlier this week, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, an organization of French-speaking governments, raised concerns over the electoral register’s credibility in the country’s upcoming polls.
The international association of French-speaking countries withdrew its poll-monitoring mission from Guinea, citing the presence of 2.49 million “problematic” names on the electoral register including duplicate names, or names of those who were too young to vote or who had died.
Earlier this month, the United States also raised concerns over the Guinea government’s plans to hold legislative elections and a constitutional referendum.
The claim increased pressure on the 81-year-old Conde, 81, who is expected to hold a referendum on the constitution to extend his rule for 12 more years. The referendum would impose a limit of two six-year terms, up from the current two five-year terms. Conde’s current term is set to end in December 2020.
Since October last year, the mobilization against Condé has led to mass demonstrations in the country. At least 30 people have died in protests against the proposed constitutional changes that will allow Conde to run for a third term or even a fourth.
