By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Preparations for a Nov. 16 parliamentary election are on track in the West African state of Guinea-Bissau, where narcotics trade and organized crime are at crisis levels, a U.N. official said on Tuesday.

The election in Guinea-Bissau will be held just three months after the country's president swore in a new government in what Bissau's armed forces said was a coup mounted by renegade military officers.

"Preparations for the poll are on track," U.N. under-secretary-general Lynn Pascoe told the U.N. Security Council. "Twenty-three parties and two coalitions submitted applications to the Supreme Court by the 18 September deadline."

As a result, 27 of 34 registered parties will participate in the election, he said. The United Nations has been raising money for the election and is coordinating international observation to ensure its credibility.

The former Portuguese colony is no stranger to coups or instability, having been shaken by a series of crises since independence in 1974, but it is now under intense international scrutiny over its role as a hub in the multi-billion-dollar global cocaine trade.

November's parliamentary elections will be a test of how far down the road to stability Guinea-Bissau has progressed. Pascoe told the council that "as elections approach, there is an uneasy calm in the country."

"Security forces are ... increasing security checks and other operations around the country in order to ensure a stable climate conducive to the conduct of a peaceful election."

On the topic of narcotics and crime, Pascoe said the country's authorities recognized that they could not tackle the problem alone, which he said is not limited to Guinea-Bissau but is affecting the entire West African region.

Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said drug trafficking and organized crime could wipe out progress in improving governance and undermine efforts in building up functioning institutions and stabilizing the country.

He said the Security Council may want to consider "targeted sanctions" to stem the growth of narcotics trade.

Pascoe made it clear that Ban's recommendation of sanctions was not aimed at the country itself but at specific individuals who might be culpable. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

AlertNet news is provided by