The military junta attempting a coup in Guinea promised on Wednesday to hold elections in two years time, but the West African state's top civilian leader appealed to the world to prevent the takeover from succeeding, Reuters reported. There was confusion over who was really running the world's No. 1 exporter of aluminium ore bauxite two days after the death of long-serving President Lansana Conte. His death left a power vacuum and triggered a coup bid by a group of officers. The sprawling seaside capital Conakry was calm on Wednesday but soldiers patrolled the streets. Witnesses saw one heavily-armed group entering the central bank building. Calling themselves the National Council for Democracy and Development, the coup junta has promised an anti-corruption clean-up and blamed the civilian government for "catastrophic" economic conditions suffered by the population. "The National Council for Democracy and Development commits to organise credible and transparent elections for the end of December 2010," the junta, which earlier named its members, said in a broadcast from the national TV and radio it controls. Its spokesman, Capt. Moussa Camara, wearing a red beret, said the junta wanted to "save a people in distress". He called on the population not to hold any public demonstrations.
