Preliminary results released in Guinea have shown President Alpha Condé as the winner of a controversial election that keeps him in office as president for a third term.

The election commission released fresh results late on Thursday which showed the 82-year-old president to be the clear leader in the race.

He has a lead of 1.2 million votes with 37 of 38 electoral districts counted, Reuters news agency reports.

But the main opposition candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallo, has complained of large-scale fraud and has declared himself the winner.

Diallo said Condé is breaking the law by seeking a third term and will contest the results of the election in a constitutional court.

There has been widespread violence in Guinea since the election and after President Condé’s controversial decision earlier this year to seek a third term, which required a change to the constitution.

Diallo said he has evidence of electoral fraud, accusing the government of manipulating the vote count in Conde’s favor.