June 27, 2010
Guinea holds first free elections since independence
By Todd Pitman
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) _ They've voted before _ but never freely, and never fairly.
On Sunday, junta-ruled Guinea cast ballots for a new president in the first democratic election this West African nation has ever known. The poll caps an odyssey of repression and dictatorship spanning a half century that climaxed with a year of military rule so terrifying, people carved hiding places in their attics to avoid their own rampaging army.
Guinea's Choice
Guinea Lost
Ruled by an aging dictator, crumbling West African nation struggles for change
January 29, 2007
By TODD PITMAN
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) _ Entire neighborhoods in the capital haven't had electricity or running water for years. The central bank is in such bad shape it sometimes turns to the black market to replenish hard currency reserves. Doctors joke the best medicine for the sick is Air France _ a plane ride out of the country.
Popular anger at Guinea's plight is being aimed at President Lansana Conte more than ever before, manifested in a crippling two-week nationwide strike that ended Sunday with a deal to appoint a new prime minister with expanded powers. For many, it's not enough.