CONAKRY — Guinea's Supreme Court Wednesday deferred the release of the results of the country's first democratic election by up to two days amid accusations of fraud.
The national electoral commission was expected to deliver the first results within 72 hours after the election or before 18H00 GMT on Wednesday.
But taking into account "difficulties concerning logistics, transport and security," the Supreme Court gave election authorities until Friday at the latest to release the results.
"The Independent National Electoral Commission is granted a 48-hour extension of the deadline ..." said the order.
Guinea on Sunday held its first democratic election since independence from France in 1958, in what is hoped will end half a century of civilian and military dictatorships.
While the peaceful voting was praised by the international community, suspicion has mounted since Monday as 20 of 24 candidates in the presidential poll allege widespread fraud.
Among the accusations are concerns over ballot-stuffing, false polling stations and ballot boxes that disappeared and later re-appeared.
Life in the capital Conakry slowed in anticipation of unrest if results were not accepted.
The usual traffic jams were non-existent and many shops remained closed on Wednesday.
"Rumours and alarming information about manipulation and ballot stuffing have created an atmosphere of suspicion in the capital," the editor of weekly publications Le Democrate and The Independent, Mamadou Dian Balde, told AFP.
But on Tuesday, the independent poll body CENI vowed that there were no vote irregularities.
"No result will be manipulated," Dieng told journalists.
He said allegations of foul play were "completely unfounded rumours".
Three of the 24 candidates are seen as frontrunners in the race to become the first democratically-elected president.
These include two former prime ministers who served under late autocrat Lansana Conte: Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure, as well as a man who has been in opposition to every regime since independence, Alpha Conde.
The deputy president of Diallo's party, Amadou Oury Bah said "all eyes are on CENI" and the commission must exercise its responibilities "without hesitation".
A leader of Conde's Coalition for the People of Guinea (RPG), speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "The CENI is composed of irresponsible elements ... Some of its members are hardcore activists from other political parties".
The election is crucial for the troubled nation, one of the world's poorest after decades of mismanagement, nine months after the massacre of opponents to a military junta which left some 157 dead in a Conakry stadium.
"Who organised this fraud? Who will investigate the veracity (of the claims)?" said Alpha Toure, member of the national council of civil society organisations.
"We want everyone to take responsibilities at all levels so we can finally know the peace in this country we have lacked for a long time".
A second round of voting is planned should no candidate take a clear majority.
