Guineans vote in presidential election amid tight security

Opposition leaders condemned Guinea’s presidential elections before the last ballots were submitted on Sunday, and tensions are running high in the capital as citizens await results from the second democratic election in the West African country’s post-colonial history. When Conde defeated Diallo in 2010, clashes broke out along ethnic lines.

Results for Sunday’s election are expected on October 13. Officials enforced a curfew after the clashes in an effort to stem further violence, but less than 24 hours before polls opened, seven people were killed in Conakry and the eastern district of Banankoro on Saturday. “After the Ebola epidemic, Guinea really needs to unite to get back to moving forward”, Condé said. In 2013, Guinea experienced a deadly outbreak of Ebola, which claimed a few 2,500 lives and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Among his achievements he cites an overhaul of the army and judiciary, the completion of a hydroelectric dam and reforms to make mining contracts more transparent. “Ask that on the streets”, he defiantly declared in an interview.

Guinean Interior Minister Mahmoud Cisse said the election was happening in “peace and calm” after visiting a part of Conakry that is often a starting point for opposition demonstrations.

“With these irregularities, I am convinced that it is lost for my candidate”, he said of main opposition candidate Diallo. Diallo also voted on Sunday and called for people to refrain from violence.

The Fulani, Guinea’s largest and wealthiest ethnic group, have never enjoyed political power in the country.

Diallo said Sunday: “It’s a time to be vigilant, to ensure that Guineans’ suffrage is respected…so that the best man wins”.

“By 1600 local time, we will be able to determine not whether fraud has occurred but on what scale”, he said.

Almost 19 000 police and other security personnel were on duty, with all of Guinea’s borders closed for the day and only electoral observers, officials or those with special permits allowed to drive on the roads.

Opponents of incumbent President Alpha Conde had called for a postponement over what they called the unreliability of the electoral lists and problems with distributing voter cards, which are required to cast a ballot.

A European Union observation mission was monitoring the vote. “Although I prefer Cellou but with the current situation leading to the Election Day in Guinea, I have no hope that he can win because the system is already being manipulated”, he explained.

President Conde has championed “progress” – such as bringing electricity to more people.