⁍ At least 50 people have been killed over the past year during demonstrations against the new constitution.

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⁍ The election comes at a delicate moment in West Africa, where concerns are growing over a slide in democratic gains.

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⁍ Conde faces 11 challengers, including his long-time rival Cellou Dalein Diallo.

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– Voters in the West African country of Guinea have gone to the polls to decide whether to extend the rule of 82-year-old President Alpha Conde, who in March pushed through constitutional changes allowing him to run for a third term. At least 50 people have been killed over the past year during demonstrations against the new constitution, according to Amnesty International, and violence erupted repeatedly during campaigning. There were no reports of unrest on Sunday, but a number of people including one of the candidates said they had been turned away at polling stations because of problems with their voter cards. One of the candidates, former foreign minister Makale Camara, said she herself had not received a voter card at all, and so had been unable to vote. “That’s totally unacceptable because there are people who ended up with three or four cards,” she told Reuters. “It’s a holy mess they’ve organized there. If there can be ‘fictitious’ citizens, a candidate cannot be fictitious.” Conde, who has described the constitutional reform that allowed him to run again as fair and democratic, says he needs more time to finish major mining and infrastructure projects in the West African country. “Guinea cannot develop if there is no peace, security, and unity. We do not want violence,” he said after casting his ballot.