Guinea opposition leader urges octogenarian president to ‘retire’

Guinea’s leading opposition candidate called on 82-year-old President Alpha Conde to “retire with dignity” on Thursday ahead of this month’s election.

Cellou Dalein Diallo, 68, is Conde’s main contender in the October 18 election, in which the president is seeking a controversial third term.

“With his age, he no longer has the physical and intellectual capacity to carry out this demanding function of president,” Diallo told French media in an interview broadcast on Thursday.

“So I think he should agree to retire with dignity,” he added, noting that he nonetheless respected Conde’s age and position.

The president is bidding for a third term in office, defying critics who say he forced through a new constitution this year enabling him to sidestep two-term presidential limits.

A former dissident, Conde became Guinea’s first democratically elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.

Protests against his suspected plan for a third term brought thousands of Guineans into the street in late 2019. Dozens of people have been killed in clashes.

Diallo, a former prime minister, played a key role in organising the wave of protests.

“The Guinean people will have the opportunity to show they are opposed to a third term,” he said on Thursday. AFP