Guinea’s incumbent president reelected, opposition leader calls for protests

Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo won 31 percent. “The vote was a masquerade organized by the election body and the administration to declare Alpha Conde the victor”, Diallo said in a statement.

Figures from three of the capital Conakry’s five communes showed Conde won 55 per cent, 60 per cent and 49 per cent of the votes, although all the results must be ratified by Guinea’s Constitutional Court before the victor is declared.

The October 11 vote was only the second democratic presidential contest since the West African nation gained independence from France in 1958.

The Independent National Electoral commission said Conde is in the lead after 75 percent of the votes had been counted.

Conde would need around 2.25 million votes to win an absolute majority and make good on his campaign pledge to deliver a “KO blow” to the opposition by sealing a first-round victory.

Diallo withdrews from the electoral process on Wednesday, saying the vote was fraudulent. Most analysts, though, expected results to be close enough to require a second round, most likely against Diallo. The commission was due to announce the result today.

At least seven people were killed in election-related violence in 2010 – when Conde defeated Diallo in a runoff – and a few 50 people died in the run-up to Guinea’s 2013 legislative elections, according to Human Rights Watch.

The results will be released as early as Thursday, according to the electoral commission.

Worldwide Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said the court is following developments in Guinea closely to see if any unrest falls under its jurisdiction.

“I will invite the other candidates and all the citizens who are the real victims of this electoral hold-up to organise, conforming to the law, peaceful demonstrations to express our disapproval of this situation”, he said. It is relying on mining to boost its economy, estimated by the World Bank at $6.6 billion in 2014, after a slowdown caused by Ebola.