Guinea's presidential campaign kicks off

Guinea's presidential campaign has kicked into high gear, as the numerous candidates take the next month to meet with voters in the hope of becoming the country's next leader.Supporters have begun to put up posters of posters throughout the capital Conakry as leaders have called for campaigning in a "restrained" and calm atmosphere.

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The hottest topics on the presidential agenda focus primarily on quality of life issues, says Karim Kamara, RFI's correspondent in Conakry.

"People want to know about access to the water supply, to electricity, and they want price controls on the cost of food, such as rice, which is a staple of the diet here."

Kamara says that candidates, who began campaigning on Monday, have been stressing that their private partners abroad would be poised to help rebuild the country's infrastructure.

The fight against corruption and reorganising the Guinean army in order to protect the people and the sovereignty of Guinea are secondary, but still important issues. Making sure the army does not break into militias and retains its shape has been a primary concern of General Sekouba Konaté, the current head of the junta, says Tara O'Connor, head of Africa Risk Consulting in London.

Some 4,224,272 people are registered to vote, Guinea's National Independent Election Commission (CENI) announced in a final tally on Monday. Others in the 11 million population have pushed to have their votes count in what is being called the first free and fair election since Guinea's independence in 1958.

This is also an issue for the presidential candidates, who are already contending that they have the majority of votes, says Kamara, even though they are not sure if their supporters have been registered.

"Ethnicity is the primary political driver in Guinea," says O'Connor. "Whoever emerges as the main presidential candidates will be driven by the countries' main ethnic groups, who are the Mandingos, the Fulani, and the SouSou. Whoever ends up as president will be the result of some horse-trading over ethnicity," she adds.

Guinea is divided into four main regions, including Upper Guinea, Lower Guinea, the Forest region, and the Fouta region. However, the sheer number of candidates for president ensure that none will win based only on their regional support.

Alpha Condé from Upper Guinea is head of the Rally of Guinean People (RPG). A member of the Mandingo ethnicity, he is considered a heavyweight in the elections, considering he has opposed the last three leaders of the country.

Lansana Kouyaté, a former prime minister from Upper Guinea, has declared his candidacy under the Hope for National Development party (PEDN).

Other candidates from the same region include Mamadi Diawarra and another former prime minister François Fall.

In Lower Guinea,  Sidia Toure, leader of the Union of Republican Forces (UFR), has a lot of cross-ethnic support. He is from the Diahanke ethnic minority, which makes up less than one per cent of the Guinean population, but remains a popular candidate among many voters of the SouSou ethnicity.

Abe Sylla, Mamadou Sylla and Aboubakar Somparé make up the other candidates from Lower Guinea.

Cellou Dalein Diallo of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) is a Foulani from the Fouta region and maintains strong support among the Foulani community in Conakry, the capital. He is also one of three former prime ministers in the running for the presidency.

What is unknown is who residents of Forest region will vote for, considering that there is no strong candidate coming from the region. Moussa Dadis Camara, the former junta leader, came from there but he is currently recouperating after being shot by one of his own men.

Guinean authorities and international organisations have called for restraint during the month-long campaign.

The acting president, General Sekouba Konate issued a decree late Tuesday, announcing the creation of a special task force unit to oversee both the campaign and the election period. It will also protect ballot boxes and guard polling and presiding officials during voting and counting periods.

After the 27 June polls, voters will return for a second round on 18 July.

Guinea has been led by a military junta since December 2008, after the death of president Lansana Conté.