Guinea court upholds RPG win

The Supreme Court on Friday confirmed the results of the September 28 poll, upholding provisional results that were published last month.

The count gave the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party 53 seats in the 114-member national assembly. The result secures the RPG, in combination with its allies, a majority.

Upholding the provisional results that were published on October 28, the court said that there was no evidence that fraud had taken place. Opposition politicians had claimed the vote had been tainted by irregularities such as ballot rigging, voter intimidation and minors casting votes.

"None of the complaints were supported with the necessary proof," said president of the court, Mamadou Sylla.

The decision means that Conde's main rival, Cellou Dalein, and his UFDG party garnered 37 seats.

"We are disappointed because we worked day and night to present to the Supreme Court all the anomalies that could have restored our rights," said Thierno Souleymane Balde, lawyer for the main opposition party, UFDG.

'Debate in parliament, not the street'

The UFR party of former Prime Minister Sidya Toure gained 10 seats. The remainder of the seats were shared by minor parties.

Meanwhile, the RPG's lawyer, Mory Doumbouya, said the ruling party would try to "convince the opposition to hold their political debates in parliament, and not on the street."

The elections are seen as a test of Conde's popularity ahead of presidential elections in 2015. They represent the final part in the jigsaw in a return to civilian rule since a military coup in 2008. The last election for the legislature took place in 2002, during the 24-year dictatorship of General Lansana Conte.

Parliamentary elections should have taken place within six months of the election of Conde in 2010. However, the polls were delayed because of a lack of agreement on the conditions.

rc/lw (AFP, AP, Reuters)