President Alpha Conde has just taken the oath of office for his third term as the president of Guinea. His election and third term has caused a lot of controversy in the country, and has even led to violence. Conde became the first democratically elected president in 2010, and was re-elected in 2015 for a second term. The constitution of Guinea states that presidents shall have a two-term limit, so as a result, Conde’s third term has been deemed an abuse of power by the country’s opposition. Guinea’s constitutional court confirmed his victory last month in November, but disputes erupted, and after the vote, 21 lives were lost due to violence.
Conde has said his mission for his third term is to modernize the country and has urged citizens to look towards a united future to improve the lives of Guineans. Opposition has stated that his third term is not letting Guinea modernize and have a functioning democracy, which may be true. After being president for about a decade, going against the constitution to stay in power causes divides in the country and moved the nation away from a true democracy. The past couple of years, it has become more common for leaders to alter or oppose laws to remain in power. Conde has become another leader, like others in West Africa, that are trying to stay in power and are making promises to improve the lives of citizens.
The people in Africa, mostly younger generations, are trying to push for better functioning democracies with liberalist perspectives. Most believe that leaders, especially those that have been in positions of power for far too long, need to make way for newer generations to make changes to society and introduce new practices and ideas. Younger people lean more towards liberal approaches in regards to governing, and hopefully they will be able to change governments and improve the functioning of democracies.