Guinea’s military leader Gen Mamady Doumbouya has taken a commanding lead in a controversial presidential election from which his main rivals were barred, according to preliminary results released by media.
Doumbouya, who seized power in a coup four years ago, is seeking to legitimise his rule through the ballot box. Civil society groups campaigning for a return to civilian government have denounced the vote as a “charade”, while opposition figures said the process was marred by serious irregularities.
As Guineans awaited full results on Monday, monitoring groups reported restrictions on access to major social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. There was no official explanation for the restrictions, but critics accused the junta of attempting to curb public criticism of the vote.
Partial official results read out on state television showed Doumbouya winning more than 80 percent of the vote in several districts of the capital Conakry. He also held a wide lead in other regions, including Boffa and Fria in the west, Gaoual in the north west, Koundara and Labe in the north, and Nzerekore in the south east.
Doumbouya came to power in 2021 after overthrowing then president Alpha Condé, who was 83 at the time. He initially pledged not to stand for election and to hand power to a civilian administration.
“Neither I nor any member of this transition will be a candidate for anything,” he said at the time, stressing that the military valued its word.
That pledge was later reversed after a new constitution adopted in September allowed him to run for office. Eight other candidates took part in Sunday’s election, but with the exclusion of the main opposition parties, RPG Arc en Ciel and UFDG, none were seen as serious challengers.
While Doumbouya enjoys support among segments of Guinea’s youth, he has faced growing criticism over restrictions on opposition activity, bans on protests, and pressure on the media in the run up to the vote.
The general justified his coup by accusing the previous government of corruption, human rights abuses, and economic mismanagement.
Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and significant iron ore resources. Authorities last month launched the long awaited Simandou iron ore project, raising hopes of economic transformation. Despite this, more than half of the population continues to live in poverty, according to World Bank figures.