In Guinea: European Union election observers say presidential vote was valid

Conde’s main challenger is opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo.

Meanwhile, at a joint press conference on Monday night, seven opposition candidates headed by Diallo called for the cancellation of elections, alleging that it was full of fraud and lacked transparency.

“I call on each Guinean to vote in acceptance of the other and in calm and tranquility”, Conde said after voting.

It was the country’s second democratic presidential election since it gained independence from France in 1958.

Guinean soldiers and civilians queue to cast their votes during presidential elections in Conakry, Guinea, Sunday October 11, 2015. Guinea Ambassador to Sierra Leone Foday Camara on state radio denied accusations that embassy officials favored certain candidates.

Even before voting opened, opposition parties had warned of fraud and vote-rigging and accused the CENI of mismanaging the poll.

“What he [Cellou Dalein Diallo] said was – keep your strengths, reserve your energy right now cause you’ll need it later, so we do expect a few election violence upon the announcement of the results and the intensity of the violence will be dependent on the results”, said Fielding.

Diallo said there were flagrant violations of the laws, ballot boxes were stuffed and voters intimidated.

In another sign of opposition discontent, former prime minister Sidya Toure, one of the election’s leading candidates, told private radio late on Monday that he was withdrawing any delegates he had won in the vote from the electoral process.

The government said such challenges by the opposition are systematic, adding that the independent electoral commission regulates the process and the vote was overseen by thousands of worldwide observers.

That being said, Fielding also felt that Ebola created a more “cohesive” society in Guinea. “Some want to save face, others are struggling to stay ahead in their party and finally there are those who wish to settle personal scores”, it said.

Overall we can say that the vote went relatively well, relative to the violence in 2010 and 2013 said Fielding.

Provisional results are expected from one to three days after the polls closed Sunday evening.

Alpha Conde was standing for a second term after becoming president in 2010 in the country’s first democratic election.