Guineans go to the polls on Sunday to choose a president, with the 82-year-old incumbent bidding for a third term despite mass protests against the move and concerns about democratic backsliding.
The election caps a tense political campaign marked by insults traded between President Alpha Conde and his leading rival Cellou Dalein Diallo.
It also follows months of political unrest in the poor West African nation, where mass protests against a Conde third term that first erupted in October last year have left dozens of people dead in a crackdown by security forces.
Conde pushed through a new constitution in March, arguing that it would modernize the country. But the move controversially allowed him to bypass a two-term limit for presidential terms.
After decades as an opposition activist, Conde became Guinea’s first democratically-elected president in 2010 and won again in 2015.
Diallo, 68, now Guinea’s leading opposition politician, was formerly a prime minister under authoritarian leader Lansana Conte.
Sporadic clashes between rival supporters have broken out across Guinea in recent days, sparking fears of further violence on polling day. The vote is the first in a string of elections scheduled across West Africa, including in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger.
Some 5.4 million registered voters are due to cast their ballots, and initial results are expected to be announced several days afterwards.
A second round is scheduled for November 24.
