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Guineaâs New Electoral Commission Chief to Answer Fraud Charges

   Peter Clottey 06 October 2010
   Burkina   Faso   President   Blaise  Compaore,  right,  greets  Guinea
   presidential  frontrunner  Cellou  Dalein  Diallo,  as  he  meets with
   members  of the transitional government and presidential candidates at
   the People's Palace in Conakry, Guinea (file photo â 03 Aug.

Photo: AP

   Burkina   Faso   President   Blaise  Compaore,  right,  greets  Guinea
   presidential  frontrunner  Cellou  Dalein  Diallo,  as  he  meets with
   members  of the transitional government and presidential candidates at
   the People's Palace in Conakry, Guinea (file photo â 03 Aug. 2010)

   A  human rights activist said the newly installed chairman of Guineaâs
   electoral  commission  will appear in court Thursday to answer charges
   of  theft  and  electoral  fraud  during  the  27^th  June first round
   presidential election.

   Attorney  Thierno  Balde,  president of Guineaâs Research Institute on
   Democracy  and  the Rule of Law, a non-governmental organization, said
   supporters  of  former  Prime  Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo filed the
   lawsuit  after  accusing  Lounceny  Camara  of vote rigging during the
   first round of Guineaâs presidential election.

   âAccording  to  them he (Camara) has hidden some of the minutes of the
   polling stations, which happened in one of the suburbs of Conakry, the
   capital  of  Guinea. He didnât bring those minutes before not only the
   electoral commission, but also the Supreme Court. And it is one of the
   reasons  that  the Supreme Court has to cancel the votes received from
   (the area).â

   Lounceny  Camara  was  installed  as  chairman of Guineaâs Independent
   Electoral  Commission replacing Ben Sekou Sylla who recently died in a
   French  hospital  after receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed
   illness.

   Cameraâs  installment  drew sharp criticism from supporters of leading
   presidential  candidate  Diallo  who  accused him of bias and being an
   avowed supporter of veteran opposition leader Alpha Conde.

   Guineaâs  military  junta  announced late Tuesday 24^th October as the
   new date for the second round for the presidential election after none
   of  the  presidential  aspirants  failed to win over 50 percent of the
   total votes required to win the first-round vote.

   Former   Prime   Minister  Diallo  won  43.69  percent  while  veteran
   opposition leader Alpha Conde came in second with 18.25 percent of the
   total votes.

   Analysts  say  tension  is  high after Diallo supporters threatened to
   boycott  the 24^th October presidential run-off if a neutral person is
   not chosen to lead the electoral body ahead of the vote.

   Attorney  Balde  said  tension  is  still high over the installment of
   Camara as chairman of the electoral commission.

   âThe  civil  society  (and  other  groups)⦠ came together and made a
   proposal  and  the idea is really to have one who can be considered as
   neutral.  And the person who will replace Ben Sekou Sylla is Monsignor
   Vincent Gomez from the church (who) is known for his integrity and for
   his honesty.

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