Former coup leader General Sekouba Konate, president of Guinea's transition government, said his country stood before the judgement of history on the eve of its first free election Sunday. 'We all stand before the judgement of history,' he solemnly told 24 civilian candidates gathered at the Sekoutoureya palace in Conakry the night before the election. 'None of us should do anything, or say anything, which will add to our already long list of martyrs. It is tomorrow that Guinea will either advance, or recede forever,' he said to applause. He was speaking nine months after the massacre of at least 156 opposition supporters by the army, in a stadium in Conakry. Sekouba Konate was the principal architect of the coup in December 2008 after the death of president General Lansana Conte, and became the number three of the junta. He found himself acting president in late 2009 when the junta leader, Moussa Dadis Camara, was the victim of an assassination attempt. Sekouba Konate had promised that no member or officer of the transition would be a presidential candidate and kept his word. He now needs to fulfil his commitment to hand over power to civilians after the election. 