Guinea’s Junta Leader Doumbouya Wins Presidential Poll Amid Opposition Boycott, Irregularity Claims

Guinea’s military ruler, General Mamady Doumbouya, has been declared winner of the country’s presidential election, securing 86.72 per cent of the votes, according to provisional results released Tuesday by the General Directorate of Elections (DGE).

The 41-year-old junta chief, who seized power in a 2021 coup and had previously vowed not to run, defeated eight other candidates in the first round, avoiding a runoff. However, the vote has been marred by widespread criticism, with major opposition leaders barred from participating and several candidates alleging electoral fraud.

According to Djenabou Touré, head of the DGE, voter turnout stood at 80.95 per cent. Doumbouya reportedly performed strongly across the country, clinching over 80 per cent of votes in the capital, Conakry, as well as in key districts including Coyah, Boffa, Fria, Gaoual, Koundara, Labé, and Nzérékoré.

But, opposition figures and pro-democracy groups have questioned the legitimacy of the process. The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), a civil movement that led mass protests against military rule, dismissed the election as a sham.

“A huge majority of Guineans chose to boycott the electoral charade,” the FNDC said in a statement on Monday, insisting the result did not reflect the will of the people.

Candidate Abdoulaye Yero Baldé also condemned what he described as “serious irregularities”, alleging his representatives were denied access to vote-counting centres and citing reports of ballot stuffing in several areas. Another candidate, Faya Millimono, decried what he called “electoral banditry”, accusing authorities of exerting undue influence over voters.

General Doumbouya’s decision to run marked a sharp reversal of his initial pledge to return Guinea to civilian rule by the end of 2024. His candidacy was enabled by a new constitution, approved in a controversial September referendum, which allowed members of the junta to contest elections and extended presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.

The new charter also imposed restrictions that effectively disqualified key opposition figures. Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, now in exile, was barred for not residing in Guinea, while ex-President Alpha Condé, whom Doumbouya overthrew in 2021 and former Prime Minister Sidya Touré were excluded for exceeding the new age limit of 80.

Doumbouya, who led the 2021 coup that ousted Guinea’s first democratically elected leader, Alpha Condé, has since tightened control over the West African nation. His administration has banned protests, restricted press freedom, and seen opponents arrested, prosecuted, or driven into exile.

Despite the election results being presented as a democratic milestone, critics argued the process marked a further entrenchment of military power in the mineral-rich but impoverished country.