EU Election Observers Say Guinea's Presidential Vote Was Valid

Guinea’s presidential election was valid despite some logistical difficulties, observers from the European Union said on Tuesday in an apparent boost for a vote expected to return President Alpha Conde to another five year term.

The election commission is yet to announce results from Sunday’s voting, but opposition candidates including their main leader Cellou Dalein Diallo called on Monday for the results to be scrapped due to fraud.

“What I saw in terms of insufficient (voting material), lack of preparation and logistical and practical difficulties at the polling stations does not mar the validity of the election,” said the head of the EU observer mission Frank Engels.

His comment was echoed by the head of the African Union monitoring group, which said the election was transparent despite some organizational difficulties.

Guinea, Africa’s largest producer of bauxite, has a history of political violence, including at the 2010 election that brought Conde to power. Two people were killed and at least 33 were wounded on Friday in clashes between Conde and Diallo’s supporters.

Early results announced by radio stations so far showed Conde in the lead, though a second round is possible.

REUTERS