The corrupt, dictatorial and long-ailing president of Guinea, Lansana Conte, was once asked about plans for his succession. “There is no question of transition,” he replied firmly. So it was no surprise that when Mr Conte did finally die, at the age of 74 on December 22nd, his country rapidly descended into political chaos.

The constitutional niceties were observed for just a few hours. The head of the Supreme Court met a clutch of politicians to discuss what to do. It was in fact the National Assembly’s speaker who should have taken charge temporarily, paving the way for an election within 60 days. But the debate was brutally curtailed by an announcement on television and radio that a group of army officers had taken over the government instead. A hitherto unknown captain, Moussa Camara, had formed a junta. It was a swift, bloodless coup d’état.

It is a testimony to Mr Conte’s 24 years of misrule that the coup was greeted at the least with equanimity by most Guineans. Some, especially the young, were enthusiastic; anything must be better than the old man. Despite Guinea’s huge mineral deposits, Mr Conte had squandered the former French colony’s wealth to such a degree that it is still one of Africa’s poorest countries. Political parties and civic institutions were weakened and legitimate protest squelched, often brutally, by the despotic Mr Conte. It was easy for the army to ignore the constitution on his death.

So when Captain Camara promised that his priorities would be rooting out corruption and holding elections by 2010, many of his disillusioned countrymen concurred. It helped the junta consolidate its grip. After briefly opposing the coup, most of Guinea’s sidelined politicians rallied round the captain. The new rulers smartly dismantled the late president’s power base, promptly sacking 22 generals.

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