Editing Guinea (section)

==== Under Conté's rule ====
Sékou Touré died on 26 March 1984 after a heart operation in the United States, and was replaced by Prime Minister [[Louis Lansana Beavogui]], who was to serve as interim president, pending new elections. PDG was due to elect a new leader on 3 April 1984. Under the constitution, that person would have been the only candidate for president. Hours before that meeting, Colonels [[Lansana Conté]] and [[Diarra Traoré]] seized power in a [[1984 Guinean coup d'état|bloodless coup]]. Conté assumed the role of president, with Traoré serving as prime minister, until December.
[[File:President Jimmy Carter with President Ahmed Sǩou Tour ̌of Guinea.jpg|thumb|U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]] welcoming [[Ahmed Sékou Touré]] outside the White House, Washington, D.C., 1979]]

Conté denounced the previous regime's record on human rights, releasing 250 political prisoners and encouraging approximately 200 thousand more to return from exile. He made explicit the turn away from socialism. 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 [[Unity and Progress Party|Party of Unity and Progress]]—won 71 of 114 seats). In September 2001, the opposition leader [[Alpha Condé]] was imprisoned for endangering state security and pardoned 8 months later. Subsequently, he spent time in exile in France.

In 2001, Conté organized and won a referendum to lengthen the presidential term, and in 2003, began his third term after elections were boycotted by the opposition. In January 2005, Conté survived a suspected assassination attempt while making a public appearance in Conakry. His opponents claimed that he was a "tired dictator",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guinea-forum.org/Analyses/index.asp?ana=28&Lang=A |title=Welcome Guinea Forum: Cornered, General Lansana Conte can only hope |access-date=23 July 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616165043/http://www.guinea-forum.org/Analyses/index.asp?ana=28&Lang=A |archive-date=16 June 2007 }}</ref> whose departure was inevitable, whereas his supporters believed that he was winning a battle with dissidents. According to ''[[Foreign Policy]]'', Guinea was in danger of becoming a [[failed state]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350 | title=Failed States list 2008 | publisher=Fund for Peace | access-date=27 June 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626091027/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350 | archive-date=26 June 2008 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2000, Guinea suffered as rebels crossed the borders from [[Liberia]] and [[Sierra Leone]]. Some thought that the country was headed towards a civil war.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/986375.stm |work=BBC News| title=Civil war fears in Guinea | date=23 October 2000 | access-date=2 April 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619115730/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/986375.stm | archive-date=19 June 2004 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Conté blamed neighbouring leaders for coveting Guinea's natural resources, and these claims were denied.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1102574.stm |work=BBC News| title=Guinea head blames neighbours | date=6 January 2001 | access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> In 2003, Guinea agreed to plans with her neighbours to tackle the insurgents. The [[2007 Guinean general strike]] resulted in the appointment of a new prime minister.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aspr.ac.at/epu/research/rp_0307.pdf |title=Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR) {{pipe}} Peace Castle Austria |publisher=ASPR |access-date=9 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615021433/http://www.aspr.ac.at/epu/research/rp_0307.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>