Election chief convicted of fraud dies ahead of Guinea vote

The chairman of Guinea Conakry’s Election Commission, Ben Sekou Sylla, who was convicted of fraud in the first round of presidential elections, has died in a Paris hospital. The news has fuelled speculation that Sunday's presidential run-off could be postponed.

Reuters

Sylla’s death follows a weekend of violence in the capital, with Prime Minister Jean Marie Dore warning that public order is more important than holding the election.

It also comes days after his conviction for "voter fraud” by a court in the suburbs of Conakry.

Sylla’s conviction is feared to have damaged the credibility of Sunday’s long-delayed second round of voting, with round one on 27 June raising hopes of a new era after 50 years of autocratic rule.

Sylla, 57, had been undergoing treatment in Paris for several months. He was hospitalised since March, travelling to Guinea for the first round before returning to Paris after interim results were announced in July.

The two election candidates, former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo and opposition leader Alpha Conde, pledged to control their supporters on the back of the news.