Amid growing signs of frustration, political parties in Guinea have raised alarm over the slow pace of the transition process.
A group of 58 political parties representing the largest in the country have in a statement accused the military junta of dragging its feet in transitioning the country to civilian rule.
The parties in a joint statement threatened to resume mass demonstrations against the CNRD junta of Col. Mamady Doumbouya if it doesn’t meet a set of demands that include immediate establishment of political dialogue.
Doumbouya came to power a popular coup on September 5, 2021, following the ousting of President Alpha Conde.
The former Special Forces Commander who led the coup has since transformed himself into a transition president and promised to hand over power to a civilian government, although he never indicated any clear timetable.
In his Transition Charter released in October, Doumbouya promised to create four arms of government, including a transition parliament and a government headed by a civilian Prime Minister.
The transition charter, which is the result of nationwide consultations, outlines the country’s path to civilian rule. But it fails to give any timeline. It promises to conduct elections gradually, starting from districts level, to communes, to legislative and then the presidency.
But political parties and some civil society activists say there have been no sign that any actions are being taken for this to happen soon. They are particularly unsettled by the silence of the junta.
According to the political parties, despite the formation of all the other bodies, the CNRD itself, which holds the supreme authority, is yet to be constituted. Only Col. Doumbouya as its president is known to hold an official position, they say, noting that he has created a barrier between himself and the masses thereby blocking any possibility of communication.
The political parties say that “inclusiveness and justice no longer seem to be the compass of the CNRD,” which came to power on the backdrop of protests against the deposed former president.
According to them, the junta must publish the full name of the CNRD membership and their respective positions. They also want a mechanism to be put in place to facilitate communication between the junta and political parties, civil society and the general public.
The political parties also want the junta to fulfill a key promise of establishing the long-awaited court to try perpetrators of crimes in the last two decades.
About 100 people were killed in months of protests against the dying regime of Conde while he plotted a plan to change the constitution and remain in office beyond the constitutional two term.
