20100705
africanews

CONAKRY (Reuters) - A protest passed off peacefully on Monday, after Guinea's caretaker government banned demonstrations against alleged fraud in the presidential election, now set for a run-off.

Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo won the June 27 poll with nearly 40 percent of the vote and will go forward into the July 18 run-off with second-placed Alpha Conde, according to provisional results released last week.

But losing parties in the poll, widely seen as the West African state's best chance in half a century of securing democratic civilian rule, said they have evidence of rigging such as ballot-stuffing and falsified voters' cards.

"I will not accept any public order disturbance by people contesting things for which they have no proof and while the Supreme Court has not pronounced its verdict," caretaker prime minister Jean-Marie Dore told state television late on Sunday.

Candidates have eight days from Monday to lodge formal complaints with the Supreme Court, which will rule on the validity of the election within three days.

A Reuters witness said a peaceful group of several dozen protesters, mainly women dressed in red, crossed the centre of the capital city, holding placards accusing interim head of state Sekouba Konate of preventing a free election. Security forces were in close attendance.

The party of third-placed Sidya Toure, a former prime minister, is among those who called rallies in the central Kaloum district for Monday. Many of the demonstrators said they supported Toure's Union of Republican Forces (UFR) party.