Guinea protesters contest presidential poll

[November 15, 2010]  CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) -- Hundreds of demonstrators in Guinea's capital are protesting a close presidential election that has been overshadowed by ethnic conflict.

The group gathered Monday in a part of Conakry inhabited by members of the Peul ethnic group. They burned tires at intersections and threw rocks at security forces.

Partial results of the Nov. 7 poll show a tight race, with Peul candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo slightly leading rival Alpha Conde, with half of the electorate counted.

On Sunday Diallo said he would not accept the outcome because two contested counties had been included in the total.

The Nov. 7 vote is considered the country's first democratic election, marking the only time in Guinea's 52 years since independence that the outcome has not been predetermined.

[Associated Press]

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