Conakry - A dispute over arrangements for the decisive second round of Guinea's September 19 presidential election is raising concern that the outcome of the landmark poll will be challenged and could trigger unrest.

The vote is intended to give military-ruled Guinea its first freely chosen leader and usher in an era of political stability in a country which hosts several billion-dollar mining projects and is a focal point for stability in West Africa.

The independent electoral commission (CENI), backed by cash from international donors including the United States and France, ran the first round in June. Voting was peaceful but the count was delayed by logistical problems and some local results were invalidated after irregularities surfaced.

Ex-prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, who polled highest in the first round but failed to win an outright majority, faces veteran opposition leader Alpha Conde in the run-off.

Dore suggested last month that CENI was short of the skills and resources needed to run the poll properly and proposed bringing in the interior ministry (MATAP) to help, but that call raised concerns in Diallo's UFDG party.

Conde's RPG backs the idea and wants a decree clarifying the roles of the CENI and MATAM in the process.