Political clashes in Guinea’s capital kill 1, injure 12

Guinea’s opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo urged supporters to make their voices heard at the ballot box in Sunday’s presidential election after his calls for a delay of the “imperfect” polls fell on deaf ears.

Guinea’s president called for calm Sunday when he voted in the country’s presidential election, after days of electoral clashes. Results of the first round are not expected until at least Tuesday.

“A Conde victory in the first round is the worst-case scenario for post-election violence, as the opposition is convinced that Conde can not mathematically win in the first round”, he told Reuters. “There was shooting in the whole neighbourhood in every direction”, said Souleymane Timbi Bah, referring to overnight gunfire in Bambeto, a neighbourhood considered one of Diallo’s strongholds in the capital. “There is a high chance that as soon as the provisional results are out, opposition leaders will ask supporters to take to the streets”.

Saran Toure said she planned to vote for Conde.

Five years of civilian rule and Guinea still faces enormous problems.

“If Alpha is re-elected it is war, we will no longer accept it”, he said in reference the last two elections, which the opposition claims were won by fraud. “Ask that on the streets”, he said in an interview.

The opposition believes nonetheless that the race is stacked in favour of Conde, who is tipped to win a second term.

Despite comprising about 40 percent of the population, Guinea has never had a president from the Peuhl ethnic group, and many say they feel excluded from the political process.

The president’s opponents had sought a postponement of the vote, citing irregularities.

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.

Bakary Fofana, the president of the electoral commission, said on national radio that voters where envelopes have run out do not need to use them, and stations where materials came late can remain open until 8:00 p.m.

This is despite the country’s prolonged battle with the Ebola epidemic and a slump in metal prices that has sapped revenue in the top African bauxite producer.

Conde’s campaign, whose slogan is “progress is on the march”, has championed infrastructure projects to improve power supply in the poor, former French colony.