Guinea’s transitional leader, Mamady Doumbouya, has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election, according to provisional results released on Tuesday, marking a formal return to civilian rule in the mineral-rich West African nation.
Doumbouya, a former special forces commander believed to be in his early 40s, rose to power through a military takeover in September 2021 that ousted President Alpha Condé, who had governed Guinea since 2010. The coup placed Guinea among a wave of nine military seizures of power that have unsettled political landscapes across West and Central Africa since 2020.
Preliminary figures show Doumbouya secured 86.72 percent of the vote in the December 28 election, well above the threshold required to avoid a second round. The Supreme Court has up to eight days to review and certify the results should any legal challenges be filed.
The outcome had been largely anticipated. Both Condé and veteran opposition figure Cellou Dalein Diallo remain in exile, leaving Doumbouya to contend with a divided slate of eight lesser-known candidates. His victory grants him a seven-year term in office.
Initially, Guinea’s post-coup transitional charter barred members of the ruling junta from contesting elections. That restriction was lifted after voters approved a new constitution in a September referendum, paving the way for Doumbouya’s candidacy.
Announcing the results late Tuesday, national election commission head Djenabou Touré reported voter turnout at 80.95 percent. However, participation appeared subdued in the capital, Conakry, and opposition figures have questioned the credibility of similarly high turnout figures reported during the constitutional referendum.
Guinea holds the world’s largest reserves of bauxite and is home to the vast, largely untapped Simandou iron ore deposit, a project officially launched last month after years of delays. Doumbouya has highlighted his role in advancing Simandou and in securing greater national benefits from Guinea’s natural resources.
Earlier this year, his administration also revoked the mining licence of Guinea Alumina Corporation, a subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium, following a dispute over refinery operations, transferring its assets to a state-owned company.
