President Condé and leader of main opposition party Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea Cellou Dalein Diallo met 1 Sept; Condé pledged to implement previous agreements. Following opposition demands to organise local elections, election commission 7 Sept said local elections would be held 18 Dec; govt and opposition 22 Sept relaunched political dialogue to debate electoral timeline and process, electoral commission reform, updating voter roll and freeing political prisoners.

Estimated half a million people took part in largely peaceful opposition rally in Conakry 16 Aug; police reportedly shot dead one onlooker. Opposition party Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) MP Ousmane Gaoual Diallo 12 Aug received two-year suspended prison sentence for insulting President Condé.

Preparations for local elections planned for Oct continued despite lack of dialogue between govt and opposition. Govt invited opposition to talks 14 July on electoral preparations but leader of main opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea, Cellou Dalein Diallo, declined 9 July, deploring non-implementation of previous agreements, called for protests 4 Aug against “dictatorship, poverty, corruption and insecurity”. Ruling Rally of the Guinean People 13 July accused Diallo of trying to destabilise institutions through coup. Mining company Rio Tinto 4 July said it would not develop iron ore mine in Simandou area, hailed as future motor of economic growth, because of low market prices.

Tensions persisted within ruling Rally of the Guinean People (RPG): President Condé 11 June banned from RPG former senior presidential advisor Ousmane Kaba and former Communications Minister Alhousseyni Makanera Kaké after they criticised his late May comments accusing ethnic Malinké politicians of trying to take control of RPG by appealing to ethnic solidarity.

President of leading opposition party Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) Cellou Dalein Diallo 23 April said he would file lawsuit against four govt officials after security forces blocked march organised by UFDG women in Conakry to protest imprisonment of opposition activists; trial, due to begin 31 May, was adjourned. NGO Global Witness 11 May published report highlighting bribes British company Sable Mining allegedly paid to officials in Guinea and Liberia to obtain licenses; Guinea govt denied allegations, 23 May said it had opened investigation into issues (see Liberia).

Preparations for local elections planned for Oct continued to generate tension between govt and opposition: opposition led by Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) 4 April rejected Electoral Commission (CENI)’s allocation of opposition seats in its local structures to Union of Republican Forces (UFR), which is now pro-govt; UFR leader Sidya Touré 12 April announced possible alliance with ruling Rally of the Guinean People (RPG). In separate dispute, RPG member and national assembly speaker Claude Kory Kondiano 5 April proposed holding municipal councillor elections separate from ward and borough councillor vote. Former PM Lansana Kou- yaté’s opposition Party of Hope for National Development (PEDN) rejected proposal, denounced alleged non-implementation of Aug 2015 political agreement and suspended participation in electoral preparations. Opposition called for general strike 30-31 March and 14 April to protest electoral issues and govt authoritarianism; opposition supporters heeded call largely peacefully.

Infighting in opposition party Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) continued: UFDG VP Amadou Bah Oury 2 March challenged his early-Feb exclusion by party president Cellou Dalein Diallo and demanded reinstatement; Diallo 11 March rejected plea. Opposition 21 March said Electoral Commission’s 21 Feb postponement of local elections violated Aug 2015 political agreement.

Tensions increased within leading opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), pitting supporters of party President Diallo against those of party VP Bah Oury. UFDG 4 Feb banned Bah from running for party leadership following his 24 Jan return from exile in France after presidential pardon of his 2011 conviction for attack on President Alpha Condé’s residence. Violence erupted 5 Feb between Bah and Diallo supporters at UFDG HQ in Conakry, one journalist shot dead. Authorities 6 Feb launched investigation into journalist’s death, arrested twenty militants, primarily Diallo supporters. EU Electoral Observation Mission 11 Feb released report on 11 Oct 2015 presidential elections noting legal and technical framework for elections suffered serious shortcomings.

New PM Youla 4 Jan formed cabinet, including sixteen new ministers out of 33. President Condé 2 Jan designated opposition Union of Republican Forces (UFR) President Sidya Touré as his “high representative”; leading opposition party Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) responded by calling on opposition activists to reject what it called Condé’s attempts at co-option. Tensions arose within ruling Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) over cabinet choices, with party militants 9 Jan blocking party’s weekly meeting in Conakry calling for removal of all newcomers in govt. Protests quickly petered out and RPG party meeting eventually held 16 Jan. Authorities and RPG 13 Jan took part in follow-up committee of 20 Aug political agreement; Justice Minister Sacko reiterated govt’s commitment to hold local elections in second quarter of 2016.

President Condé inaugurated 14 and 21 Dec in two-pronged ceremony. PM Fofana 23 Dec resigned to make way for new cabinet; Condé 29 Dec named Mamady Youla as new PM. Govt 7 Dec dismissed five high-ranking economic and education officials for “gross misconduct” in ongoing govt clean-up. Divisions within opposition persisted: Sidya Touré, second-runner up in presidential polls who had initially rejected election results, 7 Dec announced alliance with Condé.