Guinea’s junta chief, Mamady Doumbouya, has been elected president after securing a sweeping majority of the vote, according to initial results published by the country’s election commission.
Doumbouya, 41, faced eight rivals in the presidential race, but the main opposition leaders were barred from running and had urged a boycott of the vote held over the weekend.
The general, who led a coup in September 2021, reneged on his earlier promise not to seek office and to return the mineral-rich but poor West African country to civilian rule by the end of 2024.
According to the General Directorate of Elections, Doumbouya secured more than 86 percent of the first-round vote, well above the threshold required to avoid a runoff.
Voter turnout stood at nearly 81 percent, said Djenabou Toure, head of the election body.
Official partial results broadcast earlier on state television showed Doumbouya winning more than 80 percent of the vote in several districts of the capital, Conakry.
However, a citizens’ movement calling for the restoration of civilian rule questioned the official figures.
"A huge majority of Guineans chose to boycott the electoral charade," the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution said in a statement on Monday.
Allegations of irregularities
Candidate Abdoulaye Yero Balde denounced what he described as "serious irregularities," citing the refusal to grant his representatives access to vote-counting centres and allegations of "ballot stuffing" in some areas.
Another candidate, Faya Millimono, accused authorities of "electoral banditry," alleging pressure was exerted on voters.
The vote followed a constitutional referendum approved in late September that allowed junta members to run for office, clearing the way for Doumbouya’s candidacy.
The new constitution also extended presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.
Several prominent opposition figures were excluded under the revised rules, including former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, who lives in exile, as well as former president Conde and ex-prime minister Sidya Toure, both of whom exceed the maximum age limit of 80.
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Source: TRT