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| - The West African state of Guinea votes on a constitutional amendment Sunday that critics fear could enable President Alpha Conde to run for a third term after nearly 10 years in power. Here is a recap of the key dates of Conde's presidency. In November 2010 Guinea votes in its first democratic election since independence in 1958 and after decades of authoritarian regimes. Conde, a veteran opposition politician aged 72, wins with 52 percent. He promises a "new era" and undertakes reforms to the army -- which had been a destabilising force -- and the underexploited mining sector. In July 2011 Conde survives an attack on his home in Conakry. A member of the presidential guard is killed. Conde accuses Gambia and Senegal of complicity, which they deny. In 2013 two military officers are given life sentences for attempted assassination. In September 2011 clashes break when security forces try to enforce a ban on an opposition gathering. Between September and November more than 350 people go on trial for taking part in demonstrations. In 2012, violent protests break out over public services, corruption and security force brutality. The opposition demonstrates to demand long-delayed legislative elections. In 2013 protests degenerate into clashes with security forces and about 50 people are killed. In September 2013 Guineans vote in the first parliamentary elections for more than a decade, after a campaign plagued by unrest. Conde's Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) and its allies win. In August 2014 Conde declares a health emergency over the deadly Ebola outbreak that emerged in the country in December 2013. Ebola spreads, mainly to Liberia and Sierra Leone, and kills 11,300 people, including 2,500 in Guinea. In September 2015 Conde inaugurates the country's biggest hydroelectric dam. The following month he wins a second term with nearly 58 percent of ballots. Around a dozen people are killed in clashes in the runup to the poll and the opposition rejects the result. In February 2018 the ruling party wins the first local elections since 2005. The results are disputed by the opposition, sparking demonstrations. In September the constitutional court replaces its chief, Kelefa Sall, who had warned Conde against trying to change the constitution after he queried the two-term presidential limit. In October 2018 Amnesty International says at least 18 people died in opposition demonstrations since the beginning of the year. From October 2019 there are rolling demonstrations against suspicions that Conde, now 81, is manoeuvring to seek a third term. Around 30 civilians are killed. In November Amnesty raises the alarm about human rights and denounces "massive" and "arbitrary" arrests. In December Conde proposes a new constitution: while it stipulates a two-term limit, there are fears it could reset the term counter to zero. Conde does not say whether he plans to stand again in elections due late 2020. Days before the March 1 referendum on the proposed new constitution, when parliamentary elections will also be held, the international association of French-speaking countries (OIF) questions the credibility of the electoral register. ang/eab/br/ri
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