Boycott will "discredit" polls

The announcement by opposition parties in Guinea that they intend to boycott legislative elections slated for 27 December, will "discredit" the polls, but a postponement to accommodate "issues" raised by the opposition would augur well for the country's political future, diplomatic sources in the capital Conakry, told IRIN on Friday. Eight opposition parties under the umbrella of the Movement against the Referendum and for Democracy (Morad), announced at a Tuesday news conference in Conakry, said they intended to boycott, the online news service, Guineenews web reported on Wednesday. "As it is, there is no adequate time for preparations for the elections," a diplomat said. "There are no monitoring aspects in place to ensure the elections are free and fair. It would be much harder for the government to carry on without the opposition because their boycott would discredit the elections. This would make it difficult obviously with the donors," he added. But pushing forward the election date would also mean additional costs on the government especially updating voters' lists, diplomats told IRIN. A 11 November constitutional referendum, which was widely criticised by national leaders and the international community, has already put a strain on relations between Guinea and the donor community and increased tension between the government and the opposition. Over 98 percent of voters supported the amendment of Guinea's constitution, while 1.64 per cent said "no", according to the official result.