By Saliou Samb

CONAKRY, May 25 (Reuters) - Guinea's main opposition party said on Sunday it would not participate in the government of a new prime minister named by President Lansana Conte, deepening political tensions in the world's top bauxite exporter.

The Rally for the Guinean People (RPG), led by Alpha Conde, added its voice to demands by the West African country's unions for the ageing Conte to revoke his May 20 appointment of former mines minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare as prime minister.

Political opposition to Souare's nomination has been rising in recent days, raising fears of a possible repeat of a anti-government general strike and bloody riots last year which disrupted Guinea's strategic bauxite industry.

The former French colony on the West African coast holds a third of the world's known reserves of bauxite and is the leading exporter of the mineral, used to make aluminium.

Conte, a chainsmoking diabetic in his mid-70s who seized power in a 1984 army coup, appointed Souare from his own ruling party after sacking Lansana Kouyate, who was made prime minister last year in a consensus deal to end the strike and protests.

In the January and February 2007 stoppage and riots, more than 130 people were killed, most of them unarmed civilians shot by Conte's security forces.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the RPG party leadership accused Conte of breaking the political consensus accords. "This just confirms his way of governing the country," it said.

"This is why the RPG does not intend to participate in any government under the direction of the president, General Lansana Cote. From now on, it is clearly up to those forces who support change to demand his departure and that of his regime."

The RPG declaration was another blow for Souare, who has said he would like to form a politically all-inclusive government to push ahead with reforms.

The main unions, who spearheaded the 2007 protests, have rejected Souare's nomination and at least one has threatened a possible strike unless the new premier is withdrawn.

The RPG, which had no presence in the Kouyate cabinet and has no seats in the national assembly after boycotting the last 2002 elections as unfair, said any administration appointed by Conte could not bring the real change Guineans wanted.

Despite the country's mineral riches, which besides bauxite include iron ore, diamonds, gold and uranium, most Guineans live in poverty and there have been street protests in recent years against the rising cost of food and fuel products.

News of Kouyate's sacking prompted demonstrations by stone-throwing youths who burned tyres in some parts of Conakry on Tuesday, but Conte's security forces soon dispersed them.

The dispute over the premier's appointment is the latest in a series of power struggles. Rival groups of aides and officials have long jostled for influence over Conte and for access to the revenues from exports of bauxite, which is mined by companies from Russia, the United States and Canada. (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/) (Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Elizabeth Piper)

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