Guinean president's party sets date for election pick

President Alpha Conde's party will convene next week to choose a candidate for Guinea's presidential election due this year, its spokesman announced, fuelling opposition distrust of its aims.

"We will hold our convention on August 5 and 6 at the party's national headquarters... We will designate our candidate for the presidential poll," Aly Kaba, a lawmaker from the ruling Rally for the People of Guinea (RPG), told AFP on Wednesday.

Opposition politicians swiftly accused the RPG of scheming to keep Alpha Conde in power beyond his constitutional limits and warned of demonstrations if he should be named.

Conde, 82, has kept quiet about his intentions.

Kaba said the convention would see a restricted turnout of 40 RPG regional delegates and "a few" officials from the political bureau and central committee, because of the coronavirus.

In Guinea, the COVID-19 outbreak has infected 7,126 people of whom 46 have died, according to a toll released on July 28.

The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), grouping the main opposition parties and representatives of civil society, urged "the population of Conakry and surrounding areas to demonstrate on August 6 to block this civilian coup d'état", in a statement.

It called on activists "to mobilise the people to give a resounding success" in protests "until Mr Alpha Conde leaves office".

Guinea. By Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP)

Street protests against Conde started in October last year and were repeatedly met with a brutal crackdown in which several dozen civilians were killed.

In March, the opposition tried to scuttle a new constitution put to a referendum by Conde, saying it was a ploy to reset the number of his years in power and open the way to a new mandate.

According to the official results, the constitution was approved by 91.59 percent of those voting, in a turnout of 61 percent.

Conde was long a political foe of previous leaders who kept an iron grip on Guinea after independence from France in 1958.

He was elected president in 2010 and voted back in 2015, although critics say his tenure has since swung towards authoritarianism.

The electoral commission has proposed that the presidential poll be held on October 18, but Conde has yet to set a date.