Guinea Goes To Poll As Opposition Cries Foul; Millions To Vote (LONG READ)

People queue to cast their votes during Presidential elections in Bambeto neighbourhood of Conakry, Guinea, Oct. 11, 2015.

Polls opened in Guinea on Sunday, but the country’s opposition candidates claim there is little chance of the vote being free and fair. Voters lined up across Guinea’s ocean-side capital early Sunday. President Alpha Condé is running for a second term against seven opposition candidates.

While looting and clashes between rival political supporters occurred earlier in the week in Guinea, there was no sign of trouble in Conakry as polls opened.

VOA report continues:

But Guinea’s opposition was already decrying the election. In an interview Saturday evening, leading opposition candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo told VOA he had no confidence in the electoral commission. He said he and the six other opposition challengers would reject the polls if they believed they were rigged.

Diallo says if the results announced by the electoral commission or the Supreme Court do not reflect the voters’ will, then he will not accept them.

In Conakry’s Hafia Minierre II neighborhood, voters waited calmly at roadside polling stations. Presiding officer Djenabou Sedec said everything was going smoothly.

Sedec says she was the first to vote this morning, to give an example to all the other voters. Now, everyone is voting.

In this photo taken Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, thousands of supporters of UFDG presidential candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo cheer in a street during a political rally in the city of Conakry, Guinea. (AP Photo/Youssouf Bah)

Guinea Presidential Election Polls Open; Millions To Vote

Associated Press reports that thousands in Guinea headed to the polls Sunday before the sun rose to cast their vote in the country's second democratic presidential elections in more than half a century.

Some 6 million Guineans are expected to vote for eight candidates at more than 14,800 polling stations under surveillance of anti-riot police, gendarmerie and international observers.

Guinea endured decades of corrupt dictatorship after its independence from France in 1958. In 2008, after the longtime strongman died, a military coup led to tumultuous rule until the junta's leader agreed to go into exile. President Alpha Condé later won the country's first-ever democratic election in 2010.

Condé is running against seven candidates, including main opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo. When Condé defeated Diallo in 2010, clashes broke out between their supporters along ethnic lines. Similar clashes this week killed at least three people and injured some 50.

In Yembeya, a neighborhood on the periphery of the capital, voters who had been lining up since 6 a.m. still awaited voting materials.

"The head of this voting bureau went to go find the materials taking his own car. He hasn't yet returned," said Habib Balde, nervous he wouldn't be able to vote.

Mamadou Bhoye Diallo, an opposition supporter, said he voted with melancholy.

"With these irregularities, I am convinced that it is lost for my candidate," he said of main opposition candidate Diallo.

Condé's opponents had said the vote should be pushed back to Oct. 21, saying voter cards and other election materials were not properly distributed. But the national electoral group said it saw no evidence that warranted postponement.

Mamadou Mansare was happy after placing his vote.

"This is a memorable vote. I just placed my vote and my candidate will win and we will celebrate, and the world will be witness," he said.

Many analysts believe the vote will eventually head to a second round that could see Condé face off against Diallo yet again. Results are expected late Monday. 

VIOLENCE NEVER FAR AWAY: People walk past destroyed cars in Conakry on October 9, 2015, after at least two people were killed and a score hurt in clashes between rival political parties ©Cellou Binani (AFP)

Guinea Timeline Since 2008 Coup

As Guineans go to the polls Sunday for the first round of the presidential election, here are eight key dates in the west African country since a 2008 coup d'etat:

- 2008: Leader dies, coup d'Etat -

December 22-23: a few hours after the official announcement of the death of Lansana Conte, who ruled for 24 years, army officers seize power in a bloodless coup.

Junta-leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara becomes head of the National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD), to which the overthrown government swears allegiance.

Camara promises to hold elections within a year.

- 2009: Repression -

September 28: Troops open fire on a crowd of opposition supporters gathered in a sports stadium in the capital Conakry to protest Camara's attempt to remain to power.

At least 157 people are killed. Hundreds more are wounded, dozens reported missing and more than 100 women raped.

December 3: Moussa Dadis Camara is shot in the head in an assassination attempt by a close aide. He survives and is flown to Morocco for medical treatment, later going to Burkina Faso to recuperate.

In January 2010, Sekouba Konate takes over as interim president and signs an accord with Camara providing for presidential elections.

In July 2015, Guinean magistrates indict Camara over the stadium massacre.

- 2010: first democratically elected president -

November 7: Historic opposition leader Alpha Condé wins the presidential election against former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo. The first democratically elected leader of the country, he is sworn in late December.

Condé undertakes various reforms, notably in the mining sector.

- 2011: Attack on Condé's residence -

July 19: Condé survives an attack on his home in Conakry, which was hit by a rocket amid heavy weapons fire in which one member of the presidential guard was killed and two injured.

In 2013, two soldiers are given life sentences for attempted assassination.

- 2011-2012: Demonstrations and opposition -

September 27, 2011: Clashes break out between security forces and opposition supporters in Conakry after an opposition gathering is banned. In 2012, the country is rocked by violent demonstrations by inhabitants weary of dilapidated public services, corruption and the security forces' brutality.

- September 2013: Legislative elections -

September 26: Condé's Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party and its allies win legislative elections, which take place against a background of political tensions and ethnic rivalries.

Due in the six months after the presidential investiture, the legislatives had been consistently put off, amid accusations of manipulation of the voting lists and opposition to the electoral commission.

The political opposition during that time held several demonstrations which all degenerated into clashes with the security forces and in which around 50 people were killed.

- December 2013: Ebola outbreak -

The first case in the deadliest outbreak of Ebola to date is recorded in Guinea's southern forests in December 2013. From it quickly spreads through west Africa, killing over 11,000, nearly all in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In early 2015 the outbreak begins to slow but unlike Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have yet to be declared Ebola-free.

- September-October 2015: Presidential campaign -

September 10: The official campaign opens for the October 11 presidential election, in which Condé is seeking a second term. He has seven challengers, including opposition leader Diallo.
On October 8, seven people are killed in clashes between Condé and Diallo supporters in Conakry and the southeastern district of Banankoro.