President-elect of Guinea Alpha Conde (left) greets Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh yesterday in Conakry, before taking the oath of office for his second five-year term.

AFP/Conakry


Guinea’s government said yesterday it would step aside in the next two days to make way for a new administration as President Alpha Conde was installed for a second term.
The 77-year-old, re-elected in controversial October polls, was handed a sealed list of his functions during a 15-minute ceremony at the constitutional court.
“From this moment, the president begins his second term of five years and, in the process, logically the government will resign today or tomorrow at the latest,” Justice Minister Cheick Sako said in a statement.
Conde had already been sworn in at a more elaborate ceremony a week earlier, but was asked to re-read his oath as he had omitted the pledge to “uphold the law” at the first time of asking.
He didn’t make a speech but at last week’s ceremony told leaders from across Africa he would work towards making the country a model of peace and justice.
The constitutional court last month formally confirmed Conde’s re-election with 57.8% of the vote, dismissing opposition claims of vote rigging and fraud.
Appeals lodged by several of his rivals calling for the vote to be annulled were rejected by the court, which said they lacked proof or had no bearing on the results.
Conde’s main rival, opposition leader and former premier Cellou Dalein Diallo, came second in the election with 31.45%.
He has refused to recognise the outcome of what he labelled an “illegal” vote tainted by mismanagement and fraud.