Guinea will head to the polls on Sunday for a referendum on a new constitution that could pave the way for junta leader Mamady Doumbouya to contest the presidency — despite his earlier pledge not to do so when he seized power in 2021.
Wednesday marks the close of campaigning ahead of the vote, which is seen as a decisive moment in Gguinuinea’s fraught political transition. The country is one of several in West and Central Africa where coups between 2020 and 2023 reshaped the region’s leadership.
A charter adopted after the September 2021 coup barred junta members from contesting upcoming elections. However, the draft constitution omits that restriction, raising concerns among critics who describe the move as a power grab. Doumbouya himself has not declared his intentions.
Exiled opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo has urged Guineans to boycott what he called a “masquerade,” accusing the junta of orchestrating an unfair process. His Union of Democratic Forces party, along with former president Alpha Condé’s Rally of the Guinean People, has been suspended for alleged failure to meet financial and administrative disclosure rules. Both parties were barred from campaigning against the proposed charter.
Rights groups have also raised alarm. Human Rights Watch has accused Doumbouya’s government of forcibly disappearing political opponents and arbitrarily suspending media outlets. The junta denies involvement in disappearances but has pledged investigations.
The referendum comes after the government missed its own December 31, 2024, deadline for restoring civilian rule. A presidential election is now expected in December 2025.
If adopted, the new constitution would extend presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once, and establish a Senate. The president would directly appoint one-third of senators, with the remainder chosen by municipal and regional councils.
More than 6.7 million voters are registered, and the constitution will be approved if it secures over 50% of the vote.
The country remains deeply divided. Supporters like Ibrahima Camara, a civil servant, see the referendum as a path to stability: “We need a vote so Guinea can be governed by a constitution, a first step towards normalising the country.”
But in opposition strongholds, skepticism is high. “I won’t vote because the process isn’t transparent,” said Abdoulaye Diallo, a resident of Hamdallaye in Conakry. “You can’t talk about voting in Guinea without the main parties. In the long run, this will create unnecessary tensions.”
Source – My News Ghana
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