Page "History of Guinea" Paragraph 18

In 1992, Conté announced a return to civilian rule, with a presidential poll in 1993 followed by elections to parliament in 1995 ( in which his party-the Party of Unity and Progress-won 71 of 114 seats.

) Despite this, Conté's grip on power remained tight.

In September 2001 the opposition leader Alpha Condé was imprisoned for endangering state security, though he was pardoned 8 months later.

He subsequently spent a period of exile in France.

In 2001 Conté organized and won a referendum to lengthen the presidential term and in 2003 begun his third term after elections were boycotted by the opposition.

In January 2005, Conté survived a suspected assassination attempt while making a rare public appearance in the capital Conakry.

His opponents claimed that he was a " tired dictator " whose departure was inevitable, whereas his supporters believed that he was winning a battle with dissidents.

Guinea still faces very real problems and according to Foreign Policy is in danger of becoming a failed state.