ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />STORY: Rival gangs fought with knives and truncheons in Guinea's crumbling seaside capital Friday as ethnic tensions worsened ahead of an election in the unstable West African nation, witnesses said.<br/> <br />Security forces in full anti-riot gear piled into the backs of pick-up trucks and deployed across Conakry to separate the fighters as President Alpha Conde's government appealed for calm.<br/> <br />The long-delayed legislative vote, tentatively set for May, is needed to complete a transition to civilian rule after a 2008 military coup, and could open the door to hundreds of millions of dollars in European aid.<br/> <br />But preparations for the poll have been hampered by opposition claims the government is seeking to rig the outcome in advance, leading to a political impasse and sparking sporadic street protests that often turn violent.<br/> <br />Politics in Guinea are mainly drawn along ethnic lines with the opposition coalition broadly supported by membe
