Guinea’s junta leader to run for president 4 years after leading coup
Despite earlier promises not to, Guinea's junta leader Mamadi Doumbouya is making a bid for presidential office, which could see him remaining in power for 7 more years. The election is the first after a 2021 coup.
Conakry (AFP/AP) - Guinea's junta leader, General Mamadi Doumbouya, is officially a candidate in the 28 December presidential election after submitting his application to the Supreme Court on Monday. The election is intended to restore constitutional order following a coup in 2021, according to an AFP journalist.
Mamadi Doumbouya has ruled the West African country with an iron fist since taking power in 2021. His candidacy, which had been called for by his allies for months, was expected despite his initial promise to return power to civilians.
The election will be held under a new constitution approved in a recent referendum, which allowed junta members to run for office, and extended the presidential mandate from 5 to 7 years.
Guinea is one of a growing number of African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where soldiers who staged coups have consolidated their grip on power and reneged on earlier promises of a quick return to democracy.
Clamping down on opposition
Shortly after the Guinea's coup in 2021, Doumbouya pledged a smooth transition to democracy and said that he and other soldiers wouldn't be running for president.
Doumbouya joins a handful of other candidates in the race, including former Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté and Ousmane Kaba, a former government minister.
Doumbouya's junta has clamped down on the main opposition, leaving him in a strong position to win the election. Guinea’s two main opposition leaders, Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure, have been forced into exile and their parties are not expected to be on the ballot in December.
The junta leader also has created a new electoral body, and has said two heads of the institution will be appointed by decree.