Guinea-Bissau to delay elections following last year's coup

DAKAR, Oct 8 - Guinea-Bissau's presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for December 6, will have to be delayed, Prime Minister Ilídio Vieira Té told reporters on Thursday, though he did not set a new date for the vote.

• The West African nation held a presidential election in November last year that was disrupted when soldiers toppled the civilian government before the results could be announced

• Voters in August approved a new constitution that expanded presidential powers

• The prime minister told reporters that political parties had not held their congresses to choose their leaders, and potential candidates for the election had missed the October 6 deadline for submitting their bids to the nation's Supreme Court

• The prime minister did not offer a timeframe for setting a new date for a vote, stating, "there are no conditions for holding the elections scheduled for December 6"

• Last week, the government blocked the former president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, from returning, citing national security concerns. Embalo had planned to return on Sunday and contest the presidential election

• Civil society activists say the current interim government has used fear to crush political dissent, citing the unsolved murder of Vigario Luis Balanta, a popular rapper and founder of a political movement, as a high-profile example. The government denies a role in Balanta's killing, and says it is investigating to find those responsible REUTERS