Former Prime Minister and veteran opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo of Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), has been nominated by his party for Guinea’s presidential election.
Diallo will seek to defeat President Alpha Conde, 82, who is seeking a third term despite protests from the opposition, in the October 18 elections.
The 69-year-old accepted the nomination on Sunday.
Conde defeated Diallo in a runoff in 2010 and won in the first round of the 2015 presidential election. He pushed through a constitutional amendment in a referendum in March that lifted a term-limit, allowing him to run again.
Diallo, whose UFDG party joined forces with other opposition parties to lead protests against the constitutional change, says he does not recognise the new constitution.
“To attain power, you have to participate in elections. The choice to go to an election where transparency and fairness are not guaranteed is not an easy one,” Diallo told supporters at the party convention, accepting the nomination.
Diallo is expected to be Conde’s toughest challenger. The 69-year-old served as prime minister under President Lansana Conte from 2004 to 2006.
Another opposition leader, Sidya Toure, who came third in the 2010 and 2015 elections, said he would not participate this year.
