President Alpha Conde of Guinea looks set for securing a third term in office after preliminary results gave him early lead in Sunday’s presidential election.
The West African country’s electoral umpire, Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (CENI), released fresh results on Thursday which showed the 82-year-old president to be the clear leader in the race.
But the main opposition candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallo, has complained of large-scale fraud and has declared himself the winner.
With 37 of 38 electoral districts counted, Conde received 2.4 million votes versus 1.26 million for his rival Diallo, the Reuters news agency reported. Official final results are expected to be announced on Saturday.
There has been widespread violence in Guinea since the election and after President Condé’s controversial decision earlier this year to seek a third term, which required a change to the constitution.
