Guinea awaits new Prime Minister after unions end strike



The unions called off their 18-day strike only after securing a deal with embattled President Lasana Conte that will see him replaced as head of government by the new prime minister. The prime minister should be nominated within days and be a "competent, honest high-ranking civil servant who has not been implicated at all in embezzlement," read the agreement. The strike, backed by 14 opposition parties, was initially launched on January 10 to protest economic hardship, endemic corruption and Conte's decision to personally free two senior aides charged with embezzlement. Guinea has not had a prime minister since April 2006, when Conte sacked the third holder of the office in the space of a decade. In all, 59 people have been killed by the security forces since the strike began, sparking international condemnation. On Monday alone, the darkest day of the protest, violent clashes between police and strikers left 49 people dead.

Guinea awaits new Prime Minister after unions end strike

Guinea awaits new PM after unions end strike

by Alexandre Grosbois Sun Jan 28, 2:41 PM ET

Caption: Striking workers from several unions meet at the National Confederation of Guinean Workers in Conakry. State and union officials in Guinea were drafting an agreement late aimed at ending a crippling 18-day general strike in which 59 people have died.(AFP/Georges Gobet)

CONAKRY (AFP) - Guinea was awaiting the nomination of a new prime minister after unions in the poverty-stricken west African state ended a crippling strike that left almost 60 people dead.

The unions called off their 18-day strike only after securing a deal with embattled President Lasana Conte that will see him replaced as head of government by the new prime minister.

"We declare the suspension of the general strike launched January 10 and urge Guinean workers in the public, private and informal sectors to resume work this Saturday, January 27," said USTG union leader Ibrahima Fofana.

The unions had signed an agreement late on Saturday with Conte's representatives and business leaders on "installing a broad-consensus government led by a prime minister" that will have executive powers.

The prime minister should be nominated within days and be a "competent, honest high-ranking civil servant who has not been implicated at all in embezzlement," read the agreement.

The strike, backed by 14 opposition parties, was initially launched on January 10 to protest economic hardship, endemic corruption and Conte's decision to personally free two senior aides charged with embezzlement.

But when hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, the unions then demanded the appointment of a prime minister with wide-ranging powers. Many protesters also called for the resignation of Conte, who has ruled Guinea since 1984.

After arduous negotiations on Friday between the union leaders who had called the strike and emissaries of the president, the ailing 72-year-old Conte agreed to give up his role as head of government.

Neither union leaders nor Conte's representatives provided details on how the prime minister would be selected, which under the constitution is the prerogative of the president.

No candidate appeared to be an immediate favorite among the negotiators.

The unions hope that the appointment of a new prime minister will end a period of bad governance that has subjected the population for years to economic and social chaos.

Opposition leaders reacted coolly, saying that Conte must stick to the letter of the agreement which calls for separation of powers to be respected so the president will not interfere in policy-making.

Cohabitation between the new prime minister and Conte could be complicated as the president is in ill-health and often absent from the capital, and he is usually jealous of his prerogatives.

"Other prime ministers have not been able to govern because it was only Conte who nominated ministers and cabinet ministers," said Mamadou Ba, president of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea.

"The others have not been able to form a team to carry out a (reform) programme."

Guinea has not had a prime minister since April 2006, when Conte sacked the third holder of the office in the space of a decade.

"It's an agreement which is only worthwhile if it is implemented, for the moment it is only a promise," warned Sidya Toure a former president and the current leader of the opposition Union of Republican Forces.

He said it could be "difficult to obtain the president's signature for the necessary difficult reforms".

"The only concern is whether Conte will accept to take a back seat," Ba said.

The deal also calls for Conte's two aides to face the embezzlement charges that have been pressed against them, as well as for a probe to be launched into the violence against strikers.

In all, 59 people have been killed by the security forces since the strike began, sparking international condemnation. On Monday alone, the darkest day of the protest, violent clashes between police and strikers left 49 people dead.

All strikers detained during the unrest are to be freed.

On the social front the agreement calls for the price of petrol and rice to be reduced, exports of food products to be halted until the end of the year, and pensions raised.

The agreement also calls for strikers in both the state and private sector to receive their full wages for January.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: January, 2007; Peace Corps Guinea; Directory of Guinea RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Guinea RPCVs; Safety and Security of Volunteers

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