Conde likely to win Guinean presidential election in first round

CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinean President Alpha Conde is likely to win another term in office after the first round of voting in the country's presidential election, results from the National Electoral Commission showed on Thursday.

With around 80 percent of the vote counted after Sunday's election in the West African state, Conde leads by more than 55 percent, the results showed. To avoid a second round, a candidate must win more than 50 percent in the first round.

Conde took power in 2010, ending two years of military rule during which security forces massacred more than 150 people in the capital. The country, which is Africa's biggest producer of bauxite, has had two longtime authoritarian rulers.

Conde's main opponent, Celloun Dalein Diallo, withdrew on Wednesday from the election, alleging fraud ,and said he would not recognise its outcome.

Guinea has a history of political violence linked to ethnic tensions and several people have been killed in election-related clashes.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch urged political parties to act with restraint to avoid more violence and said security forces should intervene to prevent trouble in a lawful and impartial manner.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Larry King)