The President of the Republic of Guinea, Alpha Condé, re-elected for a third term at the head of the country after a controversial process, is the guest of RFI.

The Head of State spoke in particular about the criticism of the electoral process, the many victims recorded on the sidelines of the demonstrations, the arrests of several members of the opposition but also on international news.

Rfi: The Constitutional Court validated and confirmed your victory in the presidential election, in the first round, at the end of an election that was contested by the opposition and also by part of the international community. Isn't this victory likely to suffer from a lack of legitimacy?

Alpha Condé: When I was president of the African Union, I said that African issues must be settled by Africans. So, for me, the election is ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and the African Union. Both said it was one of the best organized elections. That is what matters to me.

This victory is also the culmination of a long process that began with the adoption of a new Constitution and during which dozens of Guineans lost their lives, demonstrators but also members of the defence and security forces. If you had to do it again, would you do otherwise?

Events do not depend on a single person. I point out that I was always against violence. There, I have an opposition formed by former Prime Ministers who think that we must impose ourselves by force. If I had to redo the referendum, I would do it because what matters is that the people make up their minds.

"There will be no more chaos in Guinea, we will put things in order," these are your words. Is there a link with the various arrests that have taken place recently concerning members of the opposition?

No, and there is no witch hunt in Guinea. No one is targeted except people who are accused of sponsoring. Since we have arrested people, it is up to the courts to decide. The mess is not just the mess in the streets. The mess is banditry. The mess is the road cutter, etc... The mess is to take the people hostage.

Public property and private property that has been broken. There have been deaths. It is important that there is no more impunity, whether on the side of the political parties or the police because the mess is also police officers who arrest people and ransom them. Anyone, whether a minister or prime minister, president or ordinary citizen who violates the law must be brought to justice. That's all.

Your main opponent, in the election, Cellou Dalein Diallo, continues to say that he won the election. Do you have a message for him?

I do not have a message for him. I am addressing the people of Guinea, I am not addressing an individual.

You yourself, in 2010, had already declared yourself the winner before the official results...

No, I was declared the winner. It was when the CENI gave the results that my party reacted.

Still on the subject of the opposition, the two main parties, the UFDG and the UFR in particular, no longer have seats in the National Assembly. What will be their place from now on?

First of all, the UFR no longer exists. The UFR has completely broken up. A good part of its activists are represented in Parliament. I did not prevent the UFDG from going to the elections. So, everyone assumes his choice. If they have chosen not to go to Parliament, that is their choice. I don't have to deal with it. The bottom line is that the state works.

Since 2011, the UFDG has been in a position of violence. You only have to review the history of Guinea. We were opponents: Ba Mamadou was an opponent, Siradiou [Diallo] was an opponent, Jean-Marie [Doré] was an opponent. There has never been violence.

You said that this new mandate will be different from the others. Why?

I now want us to govern for the people. I feel that I have not achieved what I wanted, which is to transform the living conditions of women and men, because of the managers. I will be ruthless. This means that I will no longer tolerate corruption, cronyism or nepotism. My goal is roads and the improvement of the living conditions of people, especially women, young people and people in the countryside. It is no longer a question of money being used by executives but of money serving the people.

Are you already thinking about the future, after this mandate?

For now, the question facing me is: what am I going to do during these six years? Will I succeed in what I want, which is to change the living conditions of the people? That is just the question before me.

You have been, during your life, a young revolutionary, president of the Federation of Students of Black Africa in France (FEANF), historical opponent, fighter of democracy, President of the Republic, President of the African Union. What would you like history to remember, first, from you?

[Laughs]. You know, President Alassane [Ouattara] used to say, when we are meeting between heads of state: "Do you know that Alpha is more proud of his title of former president of the FEANF than of the title of president of the Republic? ». Boni Yayi was telling me all the time, "Alpha, you are president. You are no longer an opponent, you are no longer a student."

I think my greatest pride is to have been president of the Federation of The Center of Black Africa in France whose ambition was political independence, the economic independence of Africa.

And secondly, when I was at the African Union, to have brought the African Union to be independent in terms of its funding because when you are financed from outside, you are not autonomous.

On the other hand, to say that Africa must speak with one voice and that African problems must be solved by Africans.

Thirdly, if I succeed in transforming the living conditions of the most disadvantaged people in Guinea, I will feel that I have fulfilled my destiny.

Some observers have found that this new mandate that you have just obtained may be at odds with this course. I guess you must have had that discussion with other people. What did you say to them?

In my career, I have never said that democracy is term limits. When President Hollande criticized Sassou [Nguesso], I said, "Hollande, you're wrong. The national conferences were held under special conditions. It is not an intangible principle."

President Diouf [Abdou] was president for 18 years. No one said he was not a Democrat. In London, the Prime Minister who is elected can stay for 20 years or 25. The same in Germany. So, I feel that I have stayed true to my ideas.

The people who talk about term limits are the same people who support those who have 4, 5 terms. In reality, they criticize when the president is not at their service. When the president is in their service, he can serve 20 terms.

This is the international news, Joe Biden should be the next president of the United States. What will you expect from him?

Joe Biden will first be president of the United States to solve the problems of the United States. Now the United States is the world's leading power. So I want the president-elect to have a more favourable view of Africa, particularly when it comes to investment. I was saying to the Americans: What is stopping you from doing what China is doing? China has Exim Bank which accompanies Chinese companies. I said to the United States, to Washington, why wouldn't you do the same thing instead of criticizing: "It's China, it's China...". Do as they do.