The Guinean military government, on Saturday, issued a decree resulting in the temporary suspension of the country’s three main opposition parties, alleging non-compliance with the requirements mandated by the Guinean Charter of Political Parties.
The decree stipulates that the parties Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), Renewal and Progress Party (PRP), and the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) are suspended for a period of 90 days. During this period, neither party is allowed to conduct political activities, hold meetings, or demonstrations, constituting a full blanket ban on their activities. Non-compliance with the decree could result in criminal charges, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior.
Of particular concern is the timing of the military government’s crackdown on the parties. On April 1, the leader of the military government, General Mamadi Doumbouya, announced that a constitutional referendum, intended to mark the return to civilian rule in the country, would be held between August 21 and September 18. Opposition parties, including the UFDG, have spoken out against the new draft constitution. In particular, Souleymane Konate, communication’s coordinator of the UFDG, denounced the draft as it would result in a continuation of the current military government’s rule under General Doumbouya. According to Konate, “no serious debate on the content of the constitutional text [is being] proposed to Guineans.”
The official ratio and legal reason behind the suspension is non-compliance with the Guinean Charter of Political Parties, which under Art. 28 provides that the Minister of the Interior can suspend any party that does not notify the ministry of changes in the party’s management, does not hold conventions and does not comply with financial requirements of holding a domestic bank account, as well as publishing financial statements, upon request, to the ministry.
The decree takes particular reference to the evaluation report of political parties, published on March 14, which had already resulted in the dissolution of 27 parties, and prior suspension of the RPG, the party of former, ousted president Alpha Conde. Similarly, following the March Report, the party of former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, UFDG, had been given 45 days to hold a party convention and is now suspended for non-compliance with the latter.
All three parties were given a period of three months to “correct the defects” in accordance with the provisions of the Charter. A re-examination “by the competent services” is to be conducted after this period. The Charter provides that the parties may be dissolved in case the Minister of the Interior concludes that the alleged irregularities are still present. The governmental actions, however, may be appealed to the Guinean Supreme Court.
Currently, the UFDG has already applied for judicial review at the Supreme Court. With a decision being expected on August 28, a spokesperson of the UFDG commented that “[they] expect the Supreme Court to state in its decision that the Minister has gone beyond his remit. It is not for it to interfere in the functioning of political parties. We expect the Supreme Court to remind you of this to Mr. Minister”.
