Gen. Mamady Doumbouya has been declared the winner of Guinea’s presidential election. This was the country’s first election since the military takeover four years ago. Partial results released late Tuesday showed the junta leader with an overwhelming lead.
According to the General Directorate of Elections, Doumbouya secured 86.72 percent of the ballots counted so far. Analysts had widely expected the outcome, citing a fractured and weakened opposition ahead of Sunday’s vote.
The election was widely viewed as an effort to formalize Doumbouya’s rule following his 2021 overthrow of President Alpha Condé. Since taking power, the military leader has overseen a sweeping crackdown on political rivals, a move critics say left little room for genuine competition.
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More than 50 political parties were dissolved during the transition, while prominent opposition figures were either barred from contesting the election on technical grounds or forced into exile. As a result, Doumbouya faced no serious challenge among the eight candidates on the ballot.
Yéro Baldé, a former education minister under Condé, placed a distant second with 6.51 percent of the vote. Election officials indicated that 80.95 percent of the country’s 6.7 million registered voters participated in the poll, AP reported.
Doumbouya had previously pledged that neither he nor other military leaders would seek elected office. That position changed after a constitutional referendum in September cleared the way for officers to run and extended the presidential term from five to seven years.
Guinea, a nation of about 15 million people, remains rich in natural resources but burdened by widespread poverty and severe food insecurity, according to the World Food Program. The junta has placed heavy emphasis on economic revival, with the Simandou iron ore project at the center of its development plans.
The massive mining venture, which is 75 percent Chinese-owned and sits atop the world’s largest known iron deposit, began production last month after years of delays. Authorities say the project is expected to generate thousands of jobs and stimulate investment in sectors such as health and education.
Guinea’s political trajectory reflects a broader pattern across West Africa, where military takeovers have surged since 2020. In several countries, officers have capitalized on public frustration over insecurity, economic hardship, and disputed elections to justify seizures of power.
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Guinea-Bissau and Benin have also experienced coup attempts in recent months, stressing the region’s continuing political volatility.
