Mamady Doumbouya Elected President of Guinea Amid Opposition Boycott
Mamady Doumbouya has been elected president of Guinea with 86.72% of the first-round vote and an 80.95% turnout, according to the country’s electoral commission and the directorate of elections. Doumbouya, who led a 2021 coup toppling Alpha Condé, had earlier pledged not to run and to restore civilian rule by the end of 2024. However, he stood for the presidency despite a late-September referendum that approved a new constitution enabling junta members like himself to run. The new constitution also extends presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.
Opposition leaders were barred from running and consequently called for a boycott of the election. The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution described the vote as a charade, noting that opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo was disqualified as he lives in exile outside Guinea. Since the coup, Guinea has seen a crackdown on civil liberties, including a ban on protests and the jailing or exile of opponents.
Official partial results broadcast on state television showed Doumbouya leading in the capital Conakry and in districts such as Coyah, Boffa, Fria, Gaoual, Koundara, Labe, and Nzérékoré.
