Guinea: The long wait for election results

At fifty-two, Guinea, a novice in what concerns democratic practices, seems to have emerged from Sunday's first free and independent presidential election unscathed after more then four million voters cast their votes in the West African country. Both the National Electoral Commission and International Observers have declared the the process free of any major irregularities.

Guineans voted massively in the country's first free democratic presidential elections since its independence in 1958. Marked by a strong participation with over four million registered voters eagerly awaiting their turn in long queues, the country's Electoral Commission's decision to allow some polling stations to carry on with the democratic exercise beyond 6 pm, the legal time limit, due to delays, has been lauded by all and sundry. Pathé Dieng, director of the commission, noted that voting queues had been particularly long.

Besides last Thursday's altercation between members of two parties, Union des forces républicaines (UFR) and Union des forces démocratiques de Guinée (UFDG), represented by Sidya Touré and Cellou Dalein Diallo respectively, that left at least two people dead, according to certain sources, no major incident was registered during Suday's exercise.

The two parties as well as the Rassemblement du peuple de Guinée (RPG), represented by the historical opposition leader Alpha Condé, could emerge among the top parties in the election. "It is the first time that presidential election candidates have not called for an electoral boycott. It is the first time that an independent Electoral Commission has organized an election. And I assure you that we have not recorded any irregularities..." said Pathé Dieng.

Peace

Alexander Lambsdorff, Head of international election observation missions - the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of African States Western (Ecowas), European Union (EU), the Carter Foundation and the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA) - also confirmed that the voting had proceeded without any particular incident.

And after the Electoral Commission's call for peace and quiet while reassuring Guineans that "every vote will be counted" and that "there will be no wrongful manipulation of the votes whatsoever", the wait for the first results has begun. Alexander Lambsdorff has also warned that the election exercise is not yet over and that the observation missions will continue till the final results have been announced.

"The point that all international observers want to highlight is that the electoral process does not end when polling stations close. The coming days are as important as Election Day, because it's now that vote counting, the centralisation of votes and the announcement of results begin," Mr. Lambsdorff was quoted by France24 as saying.

After casting his vote on Sunday, General Sékouba Konate, Guinea's inerim president, expressed "pride" over Guinea's ability to organize "free and transparent elections" after 50 years". "I call for unity and solidarity, may the best man win!" He added.

The legal deadline for the release of provisional results is 72 hours after voting ends, and official results are expected to begin trickling in on Wednesday. Having registered 24 presidential candidates, it is highly unlikely that any one of them garners the 50 per cent plus needed to prevent a run-off, which has been set for July 18.

Guinea, a mineral rich country with the world's largest bauxite reserves, including iron ore, gold, diamonds, uranium, has suffered military juntas and dictatorships since independence from France in 1958. Despite its potential wealth, the West African country is among Africa's poorest.

http://www.afrik-news.com/article17878.html

Guinea and Burundi Show Two Faces of African Democracy

While Guinea's elections are praised, Burundi faces accusations of holding an unconstitutional ballot.

Gabriela Perdomo - It is a tense week in Guinea, where the ballots of a presidential election held over the weekend are being counted. Observers in and out of the country are hoping that the success of this election, the first truly democratic process in more than 50 years, will not be broken by its aftermath. Vote-counting has been slow, and poor logistics could hamper the positive mood that has followed the ballot.

Despite a lack of opinion polls, it is widely expected that the ballot will need a second round, since none of the 30 candidates is likely to get more than 50 per cent of the vote. The run-off would be held on Jul. 18.

Meanwhile, miles south-east of Guinea, tensions are running through the roof in Burundi, where another presidential ballot took place yesterday. There is little to celebrate there, as an election that was supposed to take place within the constitutional mandate of multi-party and free democracy ended up with the re-election of the incumbent—and the sole candidate running for office— Pierre Nkurunziza.

Fearing that the presidential elections would mimic widely condemned regional polls conducted last May 24, all of Burundi's opposition candidates announced earlier in June that they would boycott the process. Nkurunziza was left with only one (sham) opponent, Yves Sahinguvu of the Tutsi Union for National Progress (Uprona), who is his first vice-president and close ally. But Sahinguvu failed to register his candidacy on time, and Burundians went to the ballot box facing a one-man race. Voting day was preceded and succeeded with grenade attacks, leaving hundreds wounded.

The election leaves a sour feeling of disappointment for those who trusted that a new constitution enacted in 2005 would finally bring Burundi a step closer to democracy. Yet, it is important to acknowledge that this same constitution is playing a positive role in the ongoing events. Critics of Nkurunziza's sham election are calling for the ballot to be cancelled, saying it is unconstitutional for being an obvious breach of the multi-party, multi-candidate system that is supposed to rule in the country.

Nkurunziza has been in office since 2005, when he was elected by lawmakers. This year's ballot was the first to allow voters to directly elect the country's president by popular vote—hence the importance of a successful process.

If the opposition leadership in Burundi stays on message, and turns this into a fight to protect the young constitution and new democratic system, it will gain legitimacy and strength. It will not be like having truly democratic elections, but it will show Burundians to aim for respecting the rule of law and, down the road, achieve true democracy.

A similar lesson should be the legacy of Guinea's presidential election. Guineans should be proud of the success of their democratic process, and demand for nothing less than what they experienced this weekend in the July run-off.

It was, by no means, expected that Guinea's election would go so well. The country has been the scenario of a series of bizarre events recently, including the non-fatal shooting of President Moussa Dadis Camara by one of his closest aides last December. Camara had succeeded President Lansana Conté after he died in 2008, via a coup d'état. He is now recovering from his serious injuries.

Last weekend's election was held under the interim presidency of Sékouba Konaté, Camara's former defence minister and an army general. Thanks to Konaté, the presidential election became a reality and today Guinea is being praised by observers and leaders around the globe.

Guineans should be proud not only because the ballot itself was peaceful and by all accounts fair, but also because the long list of hopefuls did not include any army officers. A picture of General Konaté casting his ballot on Jun. 27 is worth a thousand words. This is clearly a sign of Guinea's changing political landscape, and a breath of fresh air following decades of military rule.

Guinea's election is yet to be resolved. Results are expected to come in gradually. Possible candidates to contest the run-off include Alpha Condé, a well known anti-junta leader, as well as former prime ministers Sidya Touré and Cellou Dalein Diallo. For now, the country can pride itself in being, at the very least, on the right track towards a full transition to democratic rule.

http://www.angus-reid.com/analysis/view/35698/guinea_and_burundi_show_two_faces_of_african_democracy

The Carter Center Commends Guinea's Historical Election; Urges Continued Calm in the Post-Election

Carter Center Election Observation Mission to Guinea's presidential elections

June 29, 2010

 

 

 
Conakry…The June 27, 2010, elections, represented an important political opening for the people of Guinea.  These were the first elections to be held in Guinea without an incumbent candidate, which increased political space and the opportunity for participation by all sectors of society.

Despite procedural flaws and logistical challenges, this election, marked by high voter turnout and wide participation, was an important step forward in Guinea's process of democratization.  Although it lacks experience and faces challenges of poor infrastructure, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) exhibited good faith efforts in their attempts to ensure a credible, transparent, and peaceful process. 

As the counting process and proclamation of results continues, The Carter Center urges all candidates to adhere to their commitment to a peaceful transition of power, utilizing appropriate legal challenges for the filing of complaints as necessary. The CENI and relevant judicial bodies should recommit themselves to ensuring transparency throughout the process of proclamation and dispute resolution, ensuring all challenges are addressed in a timely and effective manner.  In addition, it is critical that security forces, civil society, religious communities, the media, and the international community reaffirm and continue their support and commitment to Guinea's democratic development.

The next month will be critical in affirming Guinea's commitment to democratic governance. Should there be a second round of elections, The Carter Center urges the final contestants to remain committed to a peaceful and inclusive process, including through debate of their differences in an open forum accessible to all Guineans.

The main interim findings of the Center's observation mission are as follows:

•    The election campaigns were based on messages of national unity,  with parties adhering to a code of conduct, and party supporters engaged in largely peaceful campaign events.
•    The Carter Center commends the transitional administration of Guinea for adhering to the January 2010 Ouagadougou agreement, including the agreed upon schedule for presidential elections and the tenet of abstaining from running as presidential candidates.
•    The elections were the first to be organized by an independent election commission, the CENI. The Carter Center recognizes the challenges faced by this agency, including a compressed electoral calendar, a legal vacuum, and a poorly developed national infrastructure.
•    Confusion about several important aspects of voting and counting procedures, delay in allocation of polling stations, and late delivery of essential voting materials negatively affected the quality of polling. The Carter Center is concerned that an uneven delivery of service to voters in different parts of the country and confusion over proper election day procedures has the potential to undermine the principles of universal and equal suffrage. In future elections, the establishment of a clear legal and procedural framework, well in advance of election day, may allow for better preparation and training.
•    The CENI introduced several complex technological innovations such as biometric voter cards and a system of tamper-proof envelopes for transferring poll results, that were well-conceived but required more attention and planning in their application.
•    The Carter Center will continue to observe the completion of the tabulation and official results process as well as any electoral disputes that may arise.

The Carter Center election observation mission has been in Guinea since May 12, 2010, following an invitation from CENI. The Carter Center mission was led by General Yakubu Gowon, former head of state of Nigeria and Dr. John Stremlau, Carter Center vice president for peace programs.  Eight long-term observers from five countries were deployed throughout the country in advance of election day to assess election preparations.   On election day, 30 observers from 15 countries visited 138  polling stations throughout Guinea to observe voting and counting.  Carter Center observers continue to assess the conclusion of counting and vote tabulation and will remain in Guinea to observe the post-election environment.  The Carter Center conducted this assessment on the basis of Guinea's domestic law and international commitments for democratic elections.   The mission was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.

GUINEA ELECTIONS 2010 FACT SHEET

SHORT HISTORY: Guinea was first French West Africa country to gain independence in 1958 and  the "father of independence"  Sekou Toure, ruled unchallenged for 26 years  with an accusation of killing over 50,000 people while in  power. After the death of Sekou Toure, in 1984, Lansana Conte took over until his death in late 2008, was succeeded by Dadis Camara, after a bloodless coup d'etat. Dadis Camara reign saw on September 28, 2009, the massacre of at least 156 opposition supporters by security forces in Conakry and subsequent months saw an assassination attempt on him leading to hospitalization in Morocco and subsequent exile in Burkina Faso. And this pave way for General Sékouba Konate to take over and following an accord in Burkina Faso, a caretaker government headed by Jean-Marie Dore as prime minister    was put in place paving the way for the historical 27th June 2010 elections. The military have given their word to conduct peaceful elections and accept the final results.

Last Presidential Elections: 2003 ( boycotted by the opposition)

Elections date: Sunday 27th of June 2010

Results : According to Guinea electoral laws results must be declared within 3 days after the elections

Second Run Date: possible second run on Saturday 17 July 2010 (14 days period required for campaign after first polls )

Current President: General Sékouba Konaté

Current Prime Minister: Ahmed Tidiane Souaré

Closing date for submission of candidature: May 21 2010

Official Start of Campaign: 17th May 2010

Electoral Management Body:  Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI) de la Guinée   http://www.ceniguinee.org/

Political Map:  8 administrative regions – 8 (7 administrative regions + Conakry)
                           33 prefectures
                          302 rural community development areas
                         8 administrative regions and voter numbers:   

Administrative regions and number of registered voters :  

  Boké                336.568
  Conakry            914.878
  Faranah            315.635
  Kankan             456.891
  Kindia               490.987
  Labé                334.142
  Mamou            268.702
  N'Zérékoré       566.527
  
Total number of voters  :                 4.297.688
Voters correctly registered –biometric : 3.806.447
Voters numbers with anomalies : 491.241
  
Distriubution of Voters
National  3.684.330
 Guinéens living abroad  122.117
 

Political Parties: over 124 registered, Electoral Management Body CENI set a bond of $ 100,000(USD) or 400 millions de francs guinéens. Final parties going into the polls are 25. Each candidate went through a medical examination and final approval by Supreme Court.
Number of Candidates: 24 candidates

List of Political Parties and Candidates:  

1              UFDG (Union des Forces Démocratiques de Guinée)      Cellou Dalein Diallo

2              UFR (Union des Forces Républicaines)   Sidya Touré

3              PNR (Parti National pour le Renouveau)                Boubacar Barry

4              PEDN (Parti de l'Espoir pour le Développement National)             Lansana Kouyaté

5              UDG (Union Démocratique de Guinée) Mamadou Sylla

6              PLUS (Parti Libéral pour l'Unité et la Solidarité)   Dr Ousmane Kaba

7              NGR (Nouvelle Génération pour la République)                Ibrahima Abe Sylla

8              RPG (Rassemblement du Peuple de Guinée)      Alpha Condé

9              FUDEC (Front Uni pour la Démocratie et le Changement)              Louceny Fall

10           GPT (Guinée Pour Tous)               Kassory Fofana

11           PUDIG (Parti de l'Union pour le Développement Intégré de la Guinée)   Joseph Bangoura

12           PUP (Parti de l'Unité et du Progrès)        Aboubacar Somparé

13           PR (Parti Républicain)     Alpha Ibrahima Keira

14           CDP (Convention Démocratique Panafricaine)    Mme Saran Daraba

15           RDIG (Rassemblement pour le Développement Intégré de la Guinée)    Jean Marc Telliano

16           PDU (Parti pour le Développement et l'Unité)    M'Bemba Traoré

17           RDR (Rassemblement pour la Défense de la République)              Papa Koly Kourouma

18           RGUD (Rassemblement Guinéen pour l'Unité et le Développement)      Abraham Bouré

19           ADPG (Avenir Démocratique Prospérité de Guinée)        Boubacar Bah

20           RGP (Rassemblement pour une Guinée Prospère)           Elhadj Bouna Keita

21           GECI (Génération Citoyenne)     Fodé Mohamed Soumah

22           UFD (Union des Forces Démocratiques)                Mamadou Bah Baadiko

23           PTS (Parti du Travail et de la Solidarité)   Mamadou Diawara

24           UPR (Union pour le Progrès et le Renouveau)    Bah Ousmane

 

Leading Candidates

1. Cellou Dalein Diallo -UFDG (Union des Forces Démocratiques de Guinée) 

2. Alpha Conde- RPG (Rassemblement du Peuple de Guinée)    

3. Sidya Toure -UFR (Union des Forces Républicaines)  

4. Lansana Kouyate -PEDN (Parti de l'Espoir pour le Développement National)  

5. Ibrahima Abe Sylla -NGR (Nouvelle Génération pour la République)          

Observers and key Groups – ECOWAS, EU, AU, Charter Centre, NDI, IFES, OIC,Francophonie,  ALLIANCE GUINEA  

 

News Websites:

AFRICAN ELECTIONS PROJECT   www.africanelections.org/guinea
GUINEECONAKRY.INFO    http://www.guineeconakry.info/
GUINEE NEWS  www.guineenews.org/

AGENCE GUINÉENNE DE PRESSE (AGP)  http://www.agp-guinee.info/

MAPPING ELECTIONS -  http://www.allianceguinea.org/ushahidi/
GUINEE24   http://www.guinee24.com/

GUINEE LIVE http://www.guineelive.com

LA VOIX DE L'AMÉRIQUE  (VOICE OF AMERICA FRENCH SERVICE )  www.voanews.com/french/
ALL AFRICA- GUINEE           http://allafrica.com/guinea/
AFRICA GUINEE  http://www.africaguinee.com/

LE JOURN GUINEE http://www.lejourguinee.com

RADIO KANKAN http://www.radio-kankan.com

ROUGE JAUNEVERT http://rougejaunevert.com/

NLS GUINEE www.nlsguinee.com

FNGE http://www.fnge.org/

RADIO NOSTALGIE GUINEE  http://www.nostalgieguinee.net/

RADIO KANKAN www.radio-kankan.com

LE JOUR  www.lejour.info

CHINA STATE -  http://french.cri.cn

BBC FRENCH http://www.bbc.co.uk/french/

RFI  www.RFI.fr/Guinee

 SOME POLITICAL PARTIES WEBSITE, TWITTER AND FACE BOOK

1.       Rally of the People of Guinea (RPG), Alpha Conde,

·         http://alphaconde.com/alpha_conde/

·         http://twitter.com/alpha_conde

·         http://www.facebook.com/pages/Professeur-Alpha-Conde-President-du-Rassemblement-du-Peuple-de-Guinee/287974955904?v=wall

2.        Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) of Cellou Dalein Diallo or the Party of Hope

·         http://www.celloudalein.org/

·         http://twitter.com/cellou2010

 

3.       GUR / Guinée Unie pour la Renaissance la Candidate de la Rupture Mme KABA Rougui BARRY 

·         http://www.rbb2010.com/  

·          http://fr-fr.facebook.com/rouguybarry

·          http://twitter.com/rouguybarry

4.       Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès de Guinée (UDPG)

·          http://twitter.com/UDPG

·         http://www.facebook.com/pages/UDPG-Union-pour-la-Democratie-et-le-Progres-de-Guinee/334214314600?v=wall

5.       Francois Fall - Front Uni pour la Démocratie et le Changement (FUDEC)

·         http://jeunes.fudec.fr/  ou  http://www.fudec.org/

·         http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=94294378750&view=user#!/group.php?gid=98580817309&ref=ts

·          http://twitter.com/FrancoiFall2010

6.       OUSMANE BAH (UPR)   http://www.l-upr.org

7.       Mamadou Oury Diallo (LDRG) http://www.ligue50.over-blog.com/

8.       Kassory Fofana (GPT) http://www.guineepourtous.org

9.       Lansana Kouyaté (PEDN) http://pednespoir.forumactif.net/

10.   Mouctar Diall  Nouvelles Forces Démocratiques(NFD) http://www.nfdguinee.org/

11.    Sidya Toure Union des Forces Républicaines-(UFR) http://www.ufrguinee.org/

 

 

Nigerian Senate Approves Jega as Election Chief

The Nigerian Senate unanimously approved the appointment of Attahiru Jega as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which runs elections in Africa's most populous country.

Jega was confirmed as head of the electoral agency, Senate President David Mark said after a vote today in Abuja, the capital. The senate also approved six nominees as electoral commissioners to assist Jega in conducting future polls in the West African country.

"They need to be transparent" in the conduct of next year's general elections, Mark said.

President Goodluck Jonathan on June 8 nominated Jega, the vice chancellor of Bayero University in the northern city of Kano, to replace Maurice Iwu. He will oversee general elections due to be held by April in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer. The last vote, held in 2007, was marred by widespread irregularities such as violence and ballot-stuffing, according to local and foreign observers.

Jonathan, who succeeded Umaru Yar'Adua, who died on May 5, has vowed to make next year's vote credible. He said on June 21 that it was too soon to announce whether he would be a candidate because it would damage his government's effectiveness.

Nigeria, with more than 140 million people, has suffered periodic outbursts of religious and communal violence that have claimed more than 13,000 lives since 1999, according to Brussels-based International Crisis Group.

Army officers have seized power six times since Nigeria's independence from the U.K. in 1960, once sparking a civil war from 1967 to 1970.

credit: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-24/nigerian-senate-approves-jega-as-election-chief-update1-.html

Interview de Dr Raphael Ouattara, National Democratic Institute(NDI) a propos des elections presidentielles en Guinee

Lasana Koute candidat à la présidentielle jet - Les electio... on Twitpic

Lasana Koute candidat à la présidentielle jet - Les electio... on Twitpic

Elections in Tanzania-What's the hurry?

The president is trying, without much luck, to gee things up

THE World Bank now ranks Tanzania a lacklustre 131st in the world, dropping steadily down the league as a place for doing business. Neighbouring Uganda comes in at 112th, with Kenya in 95th place. Well ahead of the region's big three, at 67th, is little Rwanda, a relatively late aspirant as a serious competitor. Tanzania is the laggard in a poor field. A local brand of socialism first promoted by Tanzania's founding president, Julius Nyerere, helped give its 44m people a sense of unity but failed to equip them for the 21st century. The country still feels elephantine, its infrastructure is rickety, its electricity patchy, most of its roads unpaved and potholed.

President Jakaya Kikwete knows how it is. On a recent trip he had to change cars twice in a day when they broke down on rutted roads. He used the waiting time to chat to locals. That may help him in elections due in October. He will probably run again for another five-year term. If he does, he is almost certain to win.

His party, the Chama cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution), has run Tanzania in various guises since the country was founded in 1964 after Tanganyika on the mainland merged with the island of Zanzibar. The ruling party has a small reform-minded wing and a much larger body that harks back to old-style liberation movements. Mr Kikwete stands carefully in the middle. He recently warmly welcomed in Dar es Salaam both Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and the Swiss-based World Economic Forum, a club of capitalists.

Mr Kikwete may use a second term to try to integrate Tanzania and its neighbours into a revived East African Community. With rural voters behind him, he can afford to be tough on groups that might threaten him. He has denounced recent attempts by the trade unions to strike for a higher minimum wage. He may also have persuaded the president of autonomous Zanzibar, Amani Karume, to share power with the island's opposition. That should head off violence in the election run-up.

Tanzania's economy is ticking along. This year it may grow by 6%. Inflation is edging down. Foreigners still help pay for health care and education. Dar es Salaam's once-chaotic port is a bit better run. High gold prices boost the budget. New laws to end tax breaks for mining companies and to raise royalties may bring in more cash. Tanzania has plenty of water and abundant farmland still to be developed.

Mr Kikwete has at least tried to give the appearance of curbing corruption. A Bank of Tanzania official was acquitted of puffing up the cost of building a bank from $73m to $357m but found guilty of "abusing power". Visiting businessmen, however, say they are still deterred by red tape, a weak legal system and a lack of skilled labour. Above all, they say, Tanzanians seem to lack a sense of urgency.

http://www.economist.com/node/16276809

UNDP launches support for 2010 elections in Tanzania

You have been told to vote! Hollered hip hop artist Witness today at a signing ceremony of the UNDP's 2010 Election Support Project with the Government of Tanzania and the United Nations.

As appetizers in the event, Tanzanian music artists, Mr. Ebbo, Jhikoman and Witness performed at the launch event and encouraged young people to exercise the right to vote.

The 2010 Election Support Project document was signed by the Chairpersons of National and Zanzibar Electoral Committees and by the UN Resident Coordinator.

The signing of the official project document was done by the UN Resident Coordinator, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Hon. Justice Lewis Makame, the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission and Hon. Khatib M. K. Mwinyichande, the Chairman of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission.

"The main goal is to further strengthen national capacities for the implementation of free, fair and credible elections with a focus on increasing the capacity of the NEC and ZEC as well as further engaging national stakeholders such as political parties the media and other civil society actors" said Oscar Fernandez-Taranco.

Also Hon. Bernad Membe, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation marked the occasion by highlighting free elections' role in democracy.

"Well managed, successful elections is not only important for the citizens of this country. It will also contribute to democratic governance and development in our region and for Africa", said Minister Membe.

UNDP's project provides substantial technical assistance to support next year's presidential and parliamentary elections in Tanzania. The support is a complementary initiative to the on-going national efforts to plan and implement these elections. The project will start now to assist the two Commissions and will continue until after the elections, expected in October 2010. The project will help the Commissions plan for and manage some technical needs of the elections process including voter registration, voter education, coordinating election observers, and communications.

A number of project partners are expected to help with education, communication and election observing tasks.  The project will include international technical advisors and national experts who will provide technical assistance to NEC and ZEC in the areas such as voter registration, voter education, outreach to women and young people, training and communications.  Small grants to community groups may be used to help with voter education.

The project will be managed directly by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.  Funding for the project is provided by the UNDP and other donor partners. To date they are: Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the European Commission.

http://www.tz.undp.org/esp2010.html

The project builds on earlier UNDP support to NEC and ZEC (the Deepening Democracy Project) and on the experience of the 2005 UNDP Election Support Project.

African Elections Project to Cover Guinea Elections 2010

Press Release

For immediate release

Conakry Guinea ,  18^th June 2010 –

African Elections Project to Cover Guinea Elections 2010

 The African Elections Project (AEP) www.africanelections.org/guinea will be covering Guinea's general election, taking place on Sunday 27^th of June 2010 to elect a president out of  24 candidates.  AEP was established in 2008 to empower journalists to cover elections using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) across the continent. AEP have successfully covered elections in Botswana, Namibia, Ghana, Mauritania, Mozambique, Malawi, Togo and with plans far advanced to cover Cote d' Ivoire, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon and Niger.

The role of the media in ensuring free and fair elections is indispensable. All over the world the media is playing this important role of ensuring free and fair elections by working with all stakeholders across board. According to Kwami Ahiabenu,II AEP project lead consultant, "African Elections Project is working with media and civil society stakeholders to strengthen the electoral process by providing independent information through impartial coverage using building blocks of training of senior editors, journalists and reporters in the use of ICTs in elections coverage as well as SMS application in coverage and monitoring, Election Guide for the Media, Information and Knowledge Online Portal,  Knowledge products for the media and  Media Monitoring incorporating early warning system."

In addition to its flagship online portal www.africanelections.org/guinea , AEP is covering this elections using other new media tools such as facebook, frontlinesms,  twitter  http://twitter.com/guineaelections  and  have set up elections mapping tool using ushahidi with  with its partners, Guinea Alliance at http://africanelections.org/guinea/maps/

The African Elections Project is coordinated by Ghana based International Institute for ICT Journalism (www.penplusbytes.org ) working hand in hand with other key partners across the continent. The Open Society Initiative for West Africa www.osiwa.org  is the main strategic and funding partner for AEP project in Guinea.

 Almamy Kalla Conte

AEP Guinea

guinea@africanelections.org

Système haute technologie pour surveiller les élections sera lancer pour soutenir les élections historiques en Guinée

Système haute technologie pour surveiller les élections sera lancer pour soutenir les élections historiques en Guinée

 

Le système Guinée Vote 2010 Témoin qui utilise la technologie Ushahidi  sera en ligne mardi le 15 juin

 

New York, NY, 13 juin, 2010 –

 

Avec moins de deux semaines avant les premières élections multi-partie présidentielles en Guinée depuis l'indépendance, les préparations pour les élections le 27 juin sont en cours avec la collaboration sans précédent entre l'état, la société civile et les acteurs internationaux. Commençant le mardi 15 juin, la Guinée aura un autre outil à sa disposition pour aider ces élections historiques à être les plus libre et équitable possible. Les groupes de la société civile et du gouvernement vont joindre les sociétés de télécommunications (cellulaire) et même Miss Guinée pour lancer le système « Guinée Vote 2010 témoins » (GV10 Témoins).

 

« Ce système va certainement contribuer à rendre les élections plus crédible. De plus, il permettra à chaque citoyen de devenir un observateur actif du processus,» dit Thierno Seydou Bayo, le directeur de communication pour la commission électorale national indépendante (CENI) de Guinée.

 

« L'utilisation du système GV10 Témoins permettra aux personnes en Guinée et dans le monde entier de reporter sur le processus électoral ainsi que de suivre l'évolution de l'élection en temps réel. Cela aidera beaucoup pour que cette élection historique soit aussi transparente, pacifique et libre que possible », a déclaré le co-fondateur d'Alliance Guinea, Jennifer Swift-Morgan. « Après des décennies d'espoir pour un gouvernement réellement démocratique en Guinée, le désir est grand pour des élections juste. Et cela se manifeste dans la gamme des groupes qui travaillent dans le monde entier pour réaliser ce système tranchant de surveillance des élections.

 

Alliance Guinea, une coalition de guinéens et les amis de la Guinée, qui est non partisane et sans but lucratif, travaille en partenariat avec le Projet des Elections Africaines www.africanelections.org/guinea , le CENI et d'autres partenaires en Guinée et avec le soutien de l'Ambassade des États-Unis à Conakry et les sociétés de télécommunications du pays pour déployer le système GV10 Témoins en utilisant Ushahidi une technologie qui utilisent les SMS et l'internet. Ushahidi, qui signifie "témoignage" en Swahili, est une plateforme de source ouverte, « open source » en anglais, qui utilise les connaissances des masses « crowd sourcing » et qui a été développée au Kenya, au cours de la violence postélectorale en 2008. Le système Ushahidi a depuis été déployée dans plusieurs pays du monde entier.

 

Les partenaires de GV10 Témoin annonceront l'initiative a une conférence de presse le lundi 14 juin, à onze heure à Conakry, la capital de la Guinée, au Centre de Communication de la CENI situé dans le quartier Coléah-Lanséboungni. Miss Guinée sera la porte-parole et fera la promotion de l'initiative.

 

Le système GV10 Témoin servira comme outil permettant de suivre les incidents liés à l'élection tels que la violence, des menaces de violence et de fraude électorale. Il servira également a susciter des commentaires et des informations au sujet de la campagne, l'éducation des électeurs, etc. Les citoyens et les observateurs peuvent utiliser leurs portables ou des ordinateurs pour envoyer des messages ou rapports par SMS, e-mail et ou par Twitter qui iront à la platforme GV10 Témoins. Les messages seront ensuite affichés sur une carte de la Guinée organisée par emplacement et type d'incident sur le site Web www.GV10Temoin.org. Les personnes qui surveilleront les élections – soit les administrateurs et les observateurs électoraux, les médias internationaux, les organisations de la société civile ou le public – sera ensuite capable de suivre les développements sur le site ou par des mises à jour envoyé par e-mail.

 

Alliance Guinée va filtrer, coder et cartographier les rapports en ligne en utilisant un groupe de volontaires, situé un peu partout dans le monde, pour soutenir l'initiative.  Les personnes qui sont intéressés a être volontaires peuvent s'inscrire sur le site Web de l'organisation à www.AllianceGuinea.org.

 

Les informations reportées dans le système de GV10 Témoins seront utilisées pour stimuler le journalisme d'enquête, informer et catalyser le dialogue autour des élections dans le pays et partout dans le monde, et augmenter et informer les médias internationaux de cette transition historique et critique.  D'autant plus, le système servira comme outil important pour les administrateurs électoraux et les travailleurs de sécurité électorale en Guinée de partager des informations et de répondre rapidement à tous les rapports de malfaisance et de violence.  

 

Pour envoyer un rapport au système GV10 Témoin, envoyez un e-mail à l'adresse guinea@africaelections.org ; tweetez en utilisant les languettes (hashtags) #guinee, #guineavotereport ou #guineaelections; ou soumettez un rapport à l'aide du formulaire à www.GV10Temoin.org. À partir de mardi, le 14 juin, les personnes en Guinée pourront également envoyer des messages SMS au numéro 8008.

 

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Pour plus d'information, contactez Alliance Guinea à l'adresse allianceguinea@gmail.com ou visitez le site www.allianceguinea.org.

Pour devenir volontaire, allez à http://bit.ly/GV10Help et remplissez le formulaire.

 

Statement by Ambassador Moller on the Launching of Election Texting Transparency Technology in Guinea- elections 2020

Statement by Ambassador Moller on the Launching of Election Texting Transparency Technology in Guinea

 The United States Embassy, along with Guinea's Independent National Election Commission, Alliance Guinea, Miss Guinea, and all of the country's cell phone providers announced a bold plan to provide Guineans with the ability to text in electoral issues with their cell phones to 8008 for 50 Guinean Francs.  American Ambassador Patricia Moller, whose government is providing the support for this initiative, said at the announcement:

 "The United States is committed to ensuring that these are the freest and most transparent elections in Guinea's history.  This innovative initiative will help to make this vision a reality.  Every citizen will be able to actively participate in protecting their votes and the integrity of the process.  Democracy is about every person taking the power that is offered to them and helping to create a wave of change.  By providing voters with the means to protect their votes, we have helped to place the future of their country in the palm of their hands.  This technology will allow CENI, local and international observers, and security forces to respond to incidents in real time.  Those who would hope to manipulate the results of these polls should take head.  Their actions will be followed by every citizen and be shown to all the world.  The world is truly watching these elections.  The United States is a strong friend of democracy and we will continue to support Guineans democratic aspirations throughout the election period and beyond."