Guinea votes on constitution amid junta rule

Guinea will hold a referendum on a draft constitution that could allow junta leader Mamady Doumbouya to run for president, a possibility he once denied when he seized power in 2021. The vote marks the final day of campaigning and the last step in a transition from military to civilian rule.

The new charter removes the clause that barred coup leaders from contesting future elections and extends the presidential term from five to seven years, with the possibility of two renewals. It also creates a Senate, one‑third of whose members would be presidential appointees. A turnout of at least 50 % of the 6.7 million eligible voters is required for the referendum to pass, after which a presidential election is slated for December.

Campaigning has been dominated by pro‑Doumbouya events: Quran recitations, reggae concerts, prayers and billboards covering public and private buildings in Conakry. Supporters parade in trucks wearing T‑shirts and traditional boubous printed with the colonel’s face. Opposition parties—Cellou Dalein Diallo’s Union of Democratic Forces and Alpha Conde’s Rally of the Guinean People—remain suspended for failing to meet administrative and financial disclosure demands imposed by the junta, and have been barred from organizing anti‑constitution rallies.

Diallo, now in exile, has urged a boycott, calling the vote a “masquerade” intended to legitimize the coup. Human‑rights groups echo this view, citing the regime’s crackdown on independent media, arrests of journalists and the dissolution of more than 50 parties last year. Reporters Without Borders notes that social‑media platforms, private radio stations and several information sites have been blocked, leaving a largely illiterate population to rely on state‑controlled messaging.

Local voices illustrate the polarized atmosphere. Market vendor Kadiatou Diaby said she trusts Doumbouya and will vote “yes,” while neighborhood council head Mohamed Lamine Camara admitted he had not read the sections permitting the junta leader to run. National Transition Council member Fanta Conte stressed that the referendum concerns institutional reforms, not a presidential campaign.

If approved, the constitution would cement Doumbouya’s influence, giving him the legal pathway to seek the presidency and expanding executive power through a Senate partly appointed by him.