2010 Guinean presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Guinea in 2010. They were held under the two-round system, with the first round taking place on 27 June 2010 and the second round on 7 November, after an initial date of 18 July and several other postponements. Alpha Condé was declared the winner, with 52.52% of the votes in the second round. He assumed office on 21 December 2010. The elections came after a coup in 2008 and the attempted assassination of the junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara in December 2009. There were months of tension and unrest during the electoral process, in which the two main candidates represented the two largest ethnic groups in Guinea: the Fula (; ) and the Maninka (Malinke). The elections were also the first free national election held in Guinea since it gained independence in 1958. Background The election was originally scheduled to be held on 13 December 2009 (with a second round, if necessary, held on 27 December 2009) following the 2008 Guinean coup d'état. Civilian and political groups proposed to hold them in December after legislative elections in October 2009. The government agreed in late March 2009 to set the election date for 13 and 27 December, but it was then again delayed until 31 January 2010. While junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara had initially stated he would not run in the election, he declared on 16 April 2009 that he, like every citizen, had the right to stand in the election. On 10 May 2009, however, he stated again that neither he nor any of the other officers involved would stand in the election. Despite this vow, supporters of Camara held a rally in August 2009 to call for him to take off his uniform and run in the elections. The United States felt that he had to abstain from running to ensure a free and fair election. After Camara was shot in early December 2009 and Konaté took over as the country's leader, an agreement was reached on 16 January 2010 which stipulated that Camara would remain out of the country (where he had been treated for his gunshot wounds), that a transitional government would be formed and that presidential elections would be held within six months. The election was seen as a chance to change decades of authoritarian rule following independence, as well as to bring stability and foreign investment. This was also the first democratic election since independence in 1958. Candidates Twenty-four candidates were approved to run in the election, among them four former prime ministers (Cellou Dalein Diallo, François Lonseny Fall, Lansana Kouyaté and Sidya Touré). Alpha Condé (RPG) Sidya Touré (UFR) Cellou Dalein Diallo (UFDG) Jean Marc Telliano (RDIG) François Lounceny Fall (FUDEC) Elhadj Mamadou Sylla (UDG) Mamadou Diawara (PTS) Ibrahima Kassory Fofana (GPT) Bouna Keita (RGP) Ibrahima Abe Sylla (NGR) Boubacar Barry (PNR) M'bemba Traoré (PDU) Ousmane Kaba (PLUS) Abraham Bouré (RGUD) Ousmane Bah (UPR) Saran Daraba Kaba (CDP) Fodé Mohamed Soumah (GECI) Boubacar Bah (ADPG) Lansana Kouyaté (PEDN)