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Daily Maverick
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Trust deficit threatens Guinea's peaceful return to civilian rule
Despite some progress, consensus on the electoral process and the expansion of democratic freedoms remains crucial. Since the military coup that ousted president Alpha Condé in 2021, the handling of Guinea's transition back to civilian rule has been criticised. In particular, the Forces vives de Guinée (FVG) group of political parties and civil society organisations has pointed to slow progress in keeping to the transition timetable. Although positive steps were recently taken – notably the announcement of a constitutional referendum date – these haven't been enough to build trust between political actors and the transitional government. According to the 10-point timetable agreed to by General Mamadi Doumbouya's junta and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the transition was to end in December 2024 with elections. That deadline was extended to 2025. On 1 April, the transitional government announced a constitutional referendum scheduled for 21 September – an important milestone and a prerequisite for holding presidential, legislative and local elections. Authorities also clarified progress achieved, especially regarding three of the timetable's 10 points: the administrative civil status census (Recensement Administratif à Vocation d'État Civil, or Ravec), drawing up a voters roll and drafting a new constitution. When the transition timetable was adopted, many questioned the appropriateness of compiling the voters roll from the computerised Ravec-generated civil register, and called for the register to be revised. However, to save time, the transitional authorities decided to maintain Ravec and conduct a parallel electoral census by 20 June. The new draft constitution – based on several written and oral contributions – was presented in July 2024 and disseminated among citizens. The draft was adopted by the transitional parliament on 9 April and forwarded to Doumbouya. Given Guinea's troubled political and institutional history, this inclusive process was a vital step in guaranteeing the country's post-transition stability. Prime Minister Bah Oury has raised the possibility of holding the presidential and legislative elections in tandem following the constitutional referendum. This echoes FVG members' call for the timetable to be revised to allow these elections to be held simultaneously, while leaving it to the next civilian leadership to organise the local elections. This option, which reverses the initial election sequence – from local to presidential – seems pragmatic, particularly considering the shortages of resources needed to meet transition timetable deadlines. These decisions provide much-needed clarity on the steps needed to end the transition. But the crisis of confidence between political actors and transitional authorities could still obstruct efforts to peacefully achieve a constitutional order. The crisis is fuelled by a lack of consensus on the electoral process, the closing of political and civic space and disagreement around Doumbouya's possible candidacy for the next presidential election. While the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MATD) has announced it will organise all the elections scheduled on the timetable, the main political parties want an independent and impartial electoral commission to have this responsibility. The authorities plan to set up an Independent Technical Body for Electoral Management, comprising political party and civil society representatives. But this body will only monitor and supervise the electoral process, while the MATD organises the polls. How the Independent Technical Body for Electoral Management functions will be decisive, particularly at a time when civic life is being constrained. These constraints include a ban on protests since May 2022, the disappearance of civil society organisation leaders and a journalist, and state restrictions on the media. Added to this – against a backdrop of intra-party quarrels – is the provisional suspension of the main opposition parties (Union of Republican Forces and Rally of the Guinean People) following a MATD evaluation of political parties. The political class fears this will serve the transitional authorities by consolidating their position ahead of elections. Already, shows of support for the ruling National Committee of Reconciliation and Development (CNRD) and its president, Doumbouya, are multiplying. Members of the CNRD and government have publicly affirmed their backing for his candidacy in the next presidential election. Yet Doumbouya has repeatedly promised that neither he nor any member of the transitional government or parliament would stand in an election to end the transition. This aligns with Guinea's transitional charter and the African Union's (AU) normative framework – to which the transitional authorities have reaffirmed their commitment. Some opposition and civil society members see recent trips around the country by CNRD and transitional government members as disguised election campaigns to prepare the public for a Doumbouya candidacy. An Afrobarometer study shows that while Guineans have a relatively high level of confidence in the transitional authorities and are satisfied with its achievements in terms of road infrastructure, their desire for democracy remains. As Guinea moves towards constitutional order, it needs help from international actors and partners. Ecowas' technical mission to Conakry in April to support the transition is welcomed. Its assistance to the transitional government, notably in mobilising funding through a 'round table of partners', is also significant. With the backing of the AU and the United Nations (UN), this technical support should be complemented by sustained political and diplomatic efforts, as the UN's November 2024 assessment report indicated. Such efforts must consider the regional context and the need for Ecowas to stand by its democratic governance principles. Ecowas should encourage dialogue to reach consensus on the technical and political conditions for holding the various elections. Talks will reduce tensions and help foster a more peaceful environment ahead of the polls. This is vital, considering that electoral crises have historically been a catalyst for political tensions in Guinea. DM
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
William and Charles' united front after Prince Harry's bombshell interview: Prince of Wales and the King set for rare double engagement at Order of the Bath service
The royal family will put on a united front amid the fallout from Prince Harry 's bombshell BBC interview, with King Charles and Prince William expected to make a rare joint appearance later this week. The King and the Prince of Wales will attend the Order of the Bath Service at Westminster Abbey in London on May 16 - weeks after the Duke of Sussex spoke of his strained relationship with the monarch. Speaking to the BBC after Harry, 40, lost the appeal challenging his downgraded security status, he said he did not know how long his father, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, had left to live. 'Some members of my family will never forgive me,' he continued. In the extraordinary interview, the California-based royal alleged his father could have 'resolved' the dispute over his security arrangements if he wanted to - after Harry claimed to have 'uncovered shocking truths' about the Royals' involvement in decision. He claimed his 'jaw dropped' when he discovered the Royal Household sat on the 'secretive' Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that decided to withdraw Harry's taxpayer-funded police protection in the UK. He insinuated that more could have been done by the monarch, as well as the King's private secretary Sir Clive Alderton, who had a position on Ravec. Harry told the BBC: 'There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands. 'Ultimately this whole thing could be resolved through him.' He added that while Charles 'won't speak to me because of this security stuff', Harry hoped to reconcile with his family as 'there's no point continuing to fight anymore'. Despite his plea for reconciliation, experts suggested the scorched-earth interview may, in fact, have driven the wedge between Harry and the royal family even further - as a palace source claimed they have 'zero trust' in the Duke. 'The family feel that private conversations with Harry are not possible,' an insider told Hello, after the emotionally charged BBC interview. The outlet further claimed that even if Charles were to rekindle a relationship with his youngest son, the same can't be said for Prince William, who has reportedly abandoned all hope of repairing his relationship with his brother. William, instead, appears focussed on supporting Charles, 76, with Friday's engagement at Westminster Abbey marking a rare, joint appearance for the monarch and his heir. The event will be Charles' first Service as Sovereign, with William set to be installed as Great Master of the Order during the ceremony, which will include the oath taking and installation of five Knights. The Service for the Order of the Bath is held every four years; the monarch traditionally attends every other service - meaning once every eight years - while the Prince of Wales, as Great Master, attends each service. The King last attended the ceremony as Prince of Wales in 2022 in his role as Great Master of the Order - one that he has held since 1975. During his final appearance as the Great Master, before William takes over from his father on Friday, Charles donned his full regalia for the ceremony that honours officers of the Armed Services and civil servants. It is a role traditionally carried out by the monarch, however Charles performed the duties on behalf of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, during the 2022 ceremony. Charles first stepped in for the late Queen, who died on September 8, 2022, at the Order of the Bath Service in 2014 - after aides feared that the steps at the Abbey were 'too steep' for her while dressed in full regalia. Ahead of Friday's service, King Charles joined Queen Camilla at a charity function in London on Tuesday, May 13. The royal couple attended a reception and awards ceremony for Elephant Family, set up by Camilla's late brother Mark Shand, who tragically died aged just 62 after falling and suffering a head injury in 2014. The star-studded event at The Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, West London, attracted guests including Princess Beatrice - who looked stylish in a red Rebecca Vallance gown - Lady Marina Windsor, Ronaldo Nazario, the Brazilian footballer, actors Ed Westwick and Amy Jackson and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. In an impromptu speech the King, who accompanied his wife as joint president of the charity, which is now part of Charles' British Asian Trust, said 'collaboration is far better than conflict' as he gave an impromptu speech. During the function, Camilla, 77, became emotional as she watched a posthumous video of her brother in which he spoke about his 'optimism' for saving endangered elephants that brought her to tears. Meanwhile, Prince William handed out honours to English Olympian Keely Hodgkinson and former Formula One driver and sports broadcaster Martin Brundle at Windsor Castle yesterday. Speaking as Hodgkinson, 23, received an MBE at Windsor Castle yesterday, Prince William told her that Princess Charlotte, 10, watched her win gold at the women's 800m at the Paris Olympics last year. The athlete later revealed that the Prince, 42, also shared that Charlotte, who recently celebrated her 10th birthday, is currently training for the 400m 'at the minute and the hurdles'. During their exchange at Tuesday's investiture ceremony, William also told Hodgkinson that 'he wished he could be there' to watch her take gold in person. 'He told me that he remembers me winning and that he wished he could be there to see it himself,' the Manchester-born Olympian told PA.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Prince Harry's top 'three errors' during explosive BBC interview after losing security bid
Prince Harry gave a controversial BBC interview last week after he lost his legal bid to have his UK police protection reinstated. Prince Harry made multiple blunders during his recent BBC interview after the rejection of his appeal against the downgrade of his UK security, claims PR expert David Yelland. After the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) took away his high-level police protection when he left the Royal Family to relocate to the US with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020, the duke, 40, took his case to court. However, he was unsuccessful and the Court of Appeal rejected his challenge earlier this month. After the ruling, he swiftly gave a questionable BBC interview where he not only slammed the decision and urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to take action but also made some fresh bombshell claims about his family. Harry stated that his father, King Charles, was refusing to speak to him amidst the controversy and expressed his desire to reconcile with his family. Former Sun newspaper editor and current PR advisor, David Yelland had expressed his sympathy for the Duke of Sussex but also highlighted his biggest mistakes from the interview. On the BBC Radio 4 podcast When It Hits the Fan, Yelland pinpointed three key errors that Harry made, the Mirror reports. Firstly, he noted that Harry "went in hot", saying: "You never go into an interview hot with your blood up. You have to be cool, and he wasn't cool. You can see it in his body language and what he said." Mr Yelland noted that his second mistake was that the duke "was not prepared because he thought he was going to win" the case. He continued: "And then the third mistake, which he made probably because he was angry and he did expect to win, is that he volunteered what has become an uncontrollable global news story."! During the eyebrow raising interview, Harry mentioned the King's cancer treatment and expressed fears about "how much longer my father has left". This careless remark sparked major backlash as it fuelled unnecessary speculation about King Charles's health. Mr Yelland said: "This interview didn't need to be like this. It could have been so much better, or maybe it didn't need to happen at all, now." Simon Lewis, Mr Yelland's co-host and former communications secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, highlighted that "the central tenet of PR is often timing – when you choose to do things, and secondly how you choose to do them". He added: "There was probably someone advising Harry to go on the offensive straight away after the decision. "The difficult messages about his perceived mistreatment were communicated very directly, to put it mildly." Mr Lewis also suggested that Harry would likely have benefited from pausing before making his abrupt statements. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. He suggested: "Perhaps he should have delivered some of his messages so much more elegantly – as you say, that reference to how much longer he's got. "A less confrontational tone might have garnered more sympathy." The Duke of Sussex, who currently lives in Montecito, California with Meghan and their two kids, Archie and Lilibet, expressed his frustration that he is not able to bring his family back to Britain without adequate security measures in place.
Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
'Three errors' Prince Harry made in explosive BBC interview after security bid
Prince Harry was said to have made three key errors in an explosive interview he gave to the BBC after losing his legal bid to have his UK police protection reinstated Prince Harry made several missteps during a BBC interview following the rejection of his appeal against the downgrade of his UK security, according to PR expert David Yelland. After the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) removed his high-level police protection when he stepped back from Royal duties and moved to the US with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020, the Duke of Sussex, 40, took his case to court. However, when the Court of Appeal rejected his challenge, he swiftly gave an interview to the BBC, criticising the decision, urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to intervene, and stating that his father, King Charles, refused to speak to him amidst the controversy. Despite this, Prince Harry expressed a desire for reconciliation with his family. David Yelland, a former Sun newspaper editor and current public relations advisor, expressed sympathy for Prince Harry but also highlighted his mistakes. On the BBC Radio 4 podcast When It Hits the Fan, Yelland pinpointed three key errors made by the Duke. Firstly, he noted that Harry "went in hot", saying: "You never go into an interview hot with your blood up. You have to be cool, and he wasn't cool. You can see it in his body language and what he said." Mr Yelland pointed out that the Duke "was not prepared because he thought he was going to win" the case, and went on to say: "And then the third mistake, which he made probably because he was angry and he did expect to win, is that he volunteered what has become an uncontrollable global news story," reports the Express. In the controversial interview, Harry mentioned the King's cancer treatment and expressed uncertainty about "how much longer my father has left", sparking widespread criticism for fuelling speculation about Charles's health. "This interview didn't need to be like this," Mr Yelland remarked. "It could have been so much better, or maybe it didn't need to happen at all, now." Simon Lewis, Mr Yelland's co-host and former communications secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, highlighted that "the central tenet of PR is often timing – when you choose to do things, and secondly how you choose to do them". He continued: "There was probably someone advising Harry to go on the offensive straight away after the decision. "The difficult messages about his perceived mistreatment were communicated very directly, to put it mildly." Mr Lewis suggested that the Duke might have benefited from a pause before making his statements, adding: "Perhaps he should have delivered some of his messages so much more elegantly – as you say, that reference to how much longer he's got. "A less confrontational tone might have garnered more sympathy." In an interview, the Duke, who currently resides in California with Meghan and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, expressed his inability to bring his family back to the UK without adequate security measures in place.
Daily Record
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Prince Harry's comments on King's health may have crossed the line, expert suggests
Prince Harry may come to realise he "went too far" in discussing his father, the King's, health in a bombshell interview, according to a royal expert. An expert has suggested that Prince Harry may come to regret discussing his father King Charles III's health in a recent explosive interview. The Duke of Sussex, who lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his UK security arrangements last week, gave an emotional interview that is likely to have caused consternation within the Royal household. During the conversation, he revealed that his father does not communicate with him, expressed doubts about bringing his children to the UK, and felt "stitched up". One particular segment of his BBC interview that reportedly caused a stir was when he commented on his father's ongoing cancer treatment, stating: "Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has, he, he won't speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile." Amid the ongoing tension between Harry and the Royal family, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes that Harry might now recognise the impact of his words, reports the Mirror. Speaking to the Mirror, she said: "I suspect that Harry said more than he had perhaps intended because he was consumed with anger that the court decision had gone against him. When the court ruling didn't go his way, he was, in his own words 'gutted and devastated'. And he was clearly seething with fury. And that is rarely the best time to air your thoughts." Jennie Bond, the Royal commentator, has offered her insights on Prince Harry's public revelations about his father's health, saying: "I think he might now realise that he went too far in talking about his father's health. That was a clear invasion of the privacy that Harry himself so covets. And he might also realise that he has, in my opinion, now lost the support of the vast majority of the British public." After altering his security arrangements in 2020 upon stepping back as a working Royal and relocating to California with Meghan, Harry faced a setback when his High Court appeal against a Home Office decision failed. Despite his disappointment, Jennie Bond expressed some understanding towards Harry's grievances, explaining: "I do understand Harry's feeling that he has been singled out for special treatment. I get that it seems illogical that others, former Prime Ministers, for example, who have left public office, still get police protection." The Palace, as she noted, has pointed out that the decisions made by the Ravec (Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures) committee are consistent and confirmed by the courts: "But, as the Palace has stated, the decision by the Ravec committee has been tested in court several times, and it has come up with the same conclusion on each occasion. "Moreover, other members of his family – apart from the King, Queen and William and his family – do not get the level of protection that Harry appears to be demanding. And it's not as if he has been told there will be no protection. It's just that it will be assessed case by case." Despite the controversy surrounding the interview, the rest of the Royal Family continued with VE Day commemorations this week. To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the royals participated in a series of events, including a grand appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony and a poignant service at Westminster Abbey. Jennie stated: "Despite their disappointment – and anger – over Harry's interview, the Royal Family did what they do best at the VE Day commemorations. They carried on regardless, with grace and dignity, rising above the furore over the rift. "We saw a family which, without Harry, is very much in harmony, working together and with the three children beginning to learn the ropes of royal duties. Therein lies the continuity of monarchy, with or without the errant brother."
