He is then expected to announce whether the poll will go ahead as planned. The preparations have been thrown into doubt by violence, sparked by the fraud conviction of two senior election officials.

The first round was seen as Guinea's first democratic vote since independence in 1958, raising hopes of an end to military and authoritarian rule in the mineral-rich country.

According to the BBC, it is difficult to see how the elections can be held on Sunday, as a lot of logistical work still has to be done, such as transporting election materials to remote areas.

The head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni), Ben Sekou Sylla - who was one of those sentenced to a year in jail - died on Tuesday after an unspecified long illness.

Interim Prime Minister Jean Marie Dore said on Monday that public order was more important than holding the elections as planned.

Those remarks led to accusations by the party of one of the candidates - former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo - that Mr Dore was biased.

Mr Diallo's Union of Democratic Forces in Guinea (UDFG) has called on Mr Dore to resign "in the interests of a trouble-free election".

Mr Diallo is seen as the favourite, but his rival, veteran opposition leader Alpha Conde, says he was defrauded of some 600,000 votes in the first round.