By Boris Esono Nwenfor
General Mamady Doumbouya, the head of Guinea’s junta, has been elected president after securing a sweeping majority in a tightly controlled election that was boycotted by much of the opposition, according to official results released by the country’s electoral commission.
Doumbouya, 41, who seized power in a military coup in September 2021, won 86.72 per cent of the vote in the first round of the presidential poll held over the weekend, comfortably above the threshold required to avoid a runoff. Turnout stood at 80.95 per cent, the general directorate of elections announced late on Tuesday.
The result marks a dramatic reversal of Doumbouya’s earlier pledge not to contest elections and to oversee a transition back to civilian rule in the mineral-rich but impoverished West African nation by the end of 2024. His decision to run for office followed months of political restructuring under military rule that critics say has entrenched the junta’s grip on power.
Official tallies showed Doumbouya winning by large margins across the country. In several districts of the capital, Conakry, Doumbouya reportedly secured more than 80 per cent of the vote, according to partial results read on state broadcaster RTG. Similar margins were recorded in Coyah near Conakry, as well as in Boffa and Fria in the west, Gaoual in the north-west, Koundara and Labé in the north, and Nzérékoré in the south-east.
Doumbouya faced eight other candidates, but the absence of key opposition figures overshadowed the vote. Several prominent opposition leaders were barred from running under revised electoral rules and had urged their supporters to boycott what they described as a predetermined contest.
“A huge majority of Guineans chose to boycott the electoral charade,” the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution said in a statement, casting doubt on the credibility of the process.
Some candidates who did take part in the race also raised concerns. Abdoulaye Yéro Baldé denounced what he described as “serious irregularities” during the vote, while another contender, Faya Millimono, accused authorities of “electoral banditry, alleging undue influence on voters.
Guinea has been under military rule since Doumbouya led a coup that ousted President Alpha Condé, the country’s first democratically elected leader. Since then, the junta has imposed restrictions on civil liberties, banned public demonstrations, and detained or forced into exile several political opponents, drawing criticism from human rights groups and regional partners.
Among those barred from contesting the election was former prime minister and opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who has been living in exile. Under the new constitution, Diallo was excluded because his primary residence is outside Guinea.
The path to Doumbouya’s candidacy was paved in late September, when Guineans approved a new constitution through a referendum. The revised charter allowed members of the junta to run for office and extended presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once. Opposition figures argued that the changes were designed to legitimise military rule under a civilian façade.
