It looks like the long night of violence and political banditry that has plagued the West African country of Guinea for decades is not over yet.
Tension is mounting in Conkry, the capital, as the second and final round of the presidential election slated for next Sunday, October 23rd approaches.
Already Cellou Diallo, who got 44 percent of the vote in the first round of the election last June has said he and his party will not take part in the election if Louceny Camara, the newly appointed head of the Guinean electoral commission is not removed. He says Camara is a staunch supporter of his rival Alpha Conde. Conde got 18 percent of the vote in the first round.
The former electoral commisssioner that supervised the first round, Ben Sekou Sylla, recently died in a Paris hospital after several months of ill health probably accelerated by his conviction for fraud and the resulting national disgrace.
Alpha Conde, for his part, says he and his party will not take part if Camara, the new commissioner is removed.
Meanwhile supporters of both camps have taken over the streeets of the country’s major cities, notably Conakry. Prime Minister Jean Marie Dore (photo) has threatened to postpone the election once more if there is no calm in the country. "We prefer peace and quiet to elections," he said.
There has also been calls for the General Sekouba Konate(see video), Guinea’s current military leader, to declare a state of emergency which would give him unconstitutional powers to deal with the crisis.
Cellou has threatened a national strike by his party supporters if Camara is not removed by Tuesday.
The second round, which would determine the next president has been postponed twice already.
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